The late Queen visited the College

On Thursday 10 December 1987, the late Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh visited the College to open Queen's Building. The late Queen, was RNC's Patron at the time.

The visit was documented in that year's annual report, which you can read here.

An excerpt from the report reads:

The Queen, our Patron, and The Duke of Edinburgh honoured the College with their presence on December 10th, 1987.

Students were at work on all the Departmental activities of the College in the New Building, which The Queen visited and renamed "Queen's Building". Her Majesty and His Royal Highness spoke individually to many of the staff and students there. Subsequently they visited the College Hall, where Her Majesty, for the particular benefit of those who could not see, addressed an audience of governors, staff and the remaining students, some 400 in all, as follows:

'Thank you very much for your welcome here to the Royal National College for the Blind and the beautifully bound books which I am to take away with me as a memento.

'As your Patron I have always been interested to hear about the work of the College and it is a great pleasure to be able to visit you today and to see some of the work that you are doing here in Hereford.

'I want you to know how much I admire the impressive skills which the College is able to develop and your determination to surmount all the difficulties in your lives.

'I wish every one of you a happy Christmas and the College good fortune in the years that lie ahead.'

The Queen and Prince Philip stayed much longer at College than was planned, an indication of their genuine interest and generous concern, and left behind feelings of exhilaration, pride and gratitude in equal measure.