Queen opens new language centre

Advertisement

The Queen toured the college, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary

The Queen has opened a language institute at a Berkshire private school founded by her great-great grandmother.

Wellington College, in Crowthorne, opened in 1859 as the national monument to the Duke of Wellington, and teaches about 800 boys and girls.

The Queen met students, watched a musical performance, and opened the Sir Harold Nicolson Institute for Modern Foreign Languages.

She was joined by the school's president, the Duke of Kent.

'Military academy'

The Queen toured the college, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary, with the Master Of Wellington, Dr Anthony Seldon, before unveiling a plaque.

Wellington College was founded by Queen Victoria and her Prime Minister, the Earl of Derby.

In April, the school won £25m of government funding to sponsor the 1,150-pupil Wellington Academy near Andover, Hampshire, which is to be built on the site of a former state school.

Up to 40% of pupils of the academy will be children of military personnel, as the school will be near several Army bases.