Wednesday wasn’t the first time The Prince of Wales found himself in the vicinity of the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge. Though this visit was to mark its bicentenary, one other moment in the Prince’s history wasn’t such a lovely visit. The Prince revealed he was struck by a bus while cycling in the Cambridge City Centre as a student of the prestigious university in the 1960s.
The Prince of Wales attended Trinity College between 1967 and 1970. He first studied archaeology and anthropology before switching to history. He graduated with a 2:2 degree.
He visited Cambridge University with his wife, The Duchess of Cornwall. The Prince told the invited dignitaries about the incident: “Quite how I survived being run over by a bus when I was on a bicycle just outside here, I don’t know. But it was a very special experience, as most of you probably know. ”
The Prince didn’t elaborate further. His staff added this was the first time they’d heard of the incident, to the best of their knowledge.
The Prince recalled his days there, telling The Telegraph: “For me, it’s always the greatest pleasure to come back to Cambridge. I’ve always felt so lucky to be able to study at this university. It all went by in a flash, and I’m horrified to realise that very shortly, next year, in fact, it will be fifty years since I arrived!
“All I can say is time goes past unbelievably quickly… but I enjoyed it enormously.”
The Prince and Duchess also met The King’s College Choir and listened to part of a rehearsal. Their visit to Cambridge University was to also mark the 600th anniversary of the Cambridge University Library. Though the royal couple was in a hurry, the Duchess couldn’t rush through the museum, also known as the ‘mini Louvre’.
Her Royal Highness said: “I know we are meant to hurry, but I just can’t leave without looking at some of the artwork. The range is just incredible.”
Their Royal Highnesses viewed the first edition of Charles Darwin’s book, Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection. And, to her delight, the Duchess was given the opportunity to hold a rare wax of maquette of a Degas ballerina, Arabesque Over the Right Leg.
