Students threaten to disrupt Royal visit

STUDENT protesters angry at the introduction of £9,000-a-year fees have threatened to disrupt a ceremony being held to mark the installation of the Princess Royal as Edinburgh University’s new chancellor.

Princess Anne will tomorrow officially replace the Duke of Edinburgh, who has held the position at the university since 1953.

However, students are furious at the way the appointment has been handled and say that along with the introduction of £9,000-a-year tuition fees for rest of UK undergraduates, the choice of new chancellor sends out the message that Edinburgh remains an “elitist” institution “full of white Oxbridge drop-outs”.

A demonstration is planned to coincide with the ceremony, which is taking place at the university’s New College. However, anti-fees campaigners are also understood to hold tickets for the ceremony itself and may try to use it as a vehicle for launching another protest.

Bad-tempered student protests have already taken place in London at the introduction of annual fees of up to £9,000 for students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Last month students at Glasgow University ended a 212-day occupation credited with forcing the university to re-think its cuts agenda, while smaller occupations have taken place at Edinburgh and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

Mike Shaw, a spokesman for the Edinburgh University Anti-Cuts Coalition, said the appointment of Princess Anne was the wrong choice for the university.

He said: “It gives a dreadful image of Edinburgh that it’s a university purely for the wealthy and the rich. They could have picked a famous alumnus of the university or a leading scientist, but they’ve picked a Royal.

“In recent years the university has been trying to widen access, but this appointment just sends out the message that it continues to be a place for white Oxbridge drop-outs.”

He said the university had failed properly to advertise the vote for the chancellor, a position elected by students and alumni, and said protesters may try to disrupt the ceremony.

The installation ceremony at New College will be followed by the unveiling of the newly-landscaped quad at Old College, with a reception and dinner at the Palace of Holyroodhouse later.

A spokesman for the university declined to comment.