Thank you letter from His Majesty King Charles III
04 January 2023
His Majesty King Charles III has thanked staff, students and our wider community for their condolences following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, in a formal letter to the University.
The card, which featured a photograph of The King with his late mother, read: "It was so very kind of you to send me such a wonderfully generous message following the death of my beloved mother. Your most thoughtful words are enormously comforting, and I cannot tell you how deeply they are appreciated at this time of immense sorrow. Charles R.”
Throughout her life, Her Majesty The Queen was an active supporter of higher education and took an interest in our University.
During her reign, she visited three times: first in 1957 to open the Faculty of Letters, followed in 1992 to open the Department of Microbiology, and again for her Diamond Jubilee in 2012, where she was joined by the late Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, for a visit to Henley Business School’s Greenlands campus for a three-counties Jubilee Garden Party.
The thank you card was addressed to Deputy-Vice-Chancellor Professor Parveen Yaqoob, who wrote to King Charles in September as the University’s responsible officer.
Professor Yaqoob said: “Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, our community came together to offer condolences and provide support for one another at a time of national mourning.
“It is with great pride that we share a first communication from His Majesty King Charles III, addressed to the students, staff and community of the University of Reading.”
Following the death of the late monarch, King Charles has taken the formal role of ‘Official Visitor’ of the University of Reading.
