Gown met Town beneath Carfax Tower – as both halves of the city marked the proclamation of the new king.
Members of the University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes University were represented in the contingent, including the vice chancellors of both institutions.
Members of the older University of Oxford processed from the Clarendon Building, through the Bodleian Library and Radcliffe Square, past St Mary the Virgin and onto the High Street.
Together with her mace bearers, Oxford’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Dame Louise Richardson, led the brain train, wearing a ceremonial academic gown emblazoned on the back with the university’s crest.
Also in the procession were the heads of colleges, Senior Proctor Prof Jane Mellor, her junior Dr Linda Flores and the university’s Assessor and Registrar.
Representatives from Oxford Brookes processed to Carfax from the Town Hall.
Speaking after the ceremony, Oxford Vice Chancellor Prof Richardson said: “As you saw, everybody was early – and that just never happens normally.
“I think that is a reflection of the fact everybody really wanted to be here today.”
Describing the proclamation event as a ‘very moving’ one, she added: “The ceremony was an important one for the city and it was lovely to see the different facets of the city come together.”
Paying tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, who made her first visit to the university in 1948, the vice chancellor said: “We all felt a sense of personal loss for somebody who was widely admired.
“[There was a] sense we were witnessing the end of an era, for all she represented and all that she displayed. There was a sadness there too.”
Last week, Oxford’s Chancellor, Lord Patten described the Queen as one of Britain’s ‘greatest monarchs’.
“[That] is not solely because of the achievements and length of her remarkable reign, as well as the changes and challenges the UK and the world underwent during that time,” he said.
“It is, above all, because of her utter dedication to duty, responsibility, decency and brave integrity.”
Prof Alistair Fitt, Vice Chancellor of Oxford Brookes, said in his own tribute on Thursday night: “Her Majesty was a dedicated and committed public servant, her loss is felt deeply.”
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This story was written by Tom Seaward. He joined the team in 2021 as Oxfordshire's court and crime reporter.
To get in touch with him email: Tom.Seaward@newsquest.co.uk
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