Happy Birthday Charles and it is the day the Prince of Wales becomes a pensioner! He is not only the longest serving heir to the throne but also now destined to be the oldest yet to inherit the crown.
The Queen is now 87 years old and the process of handing over duties to her son is well under way. This week is an important sign of that transition. For the first time since 1973, the Queen will miss the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
He has used his 'kingly' apprenticeship to both publicly and privately to promote issues he believes to be important. Long before environmental concerns such as climate change became part of the mainstream political agenda he was pressuring the establishment to take them seriously.
His wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, of course, has the unenviable task of choosing a present for the man who really does have everything. “I have bought him something,” she said. “I will tell you that he is the most difficult person in the world to buy a present for".
So what had the Duchess settled for in the end? At first she was reluctant to share her secret, but then relented, saying: “Actually I have bought him something but whether he will like it or not … I don’t know...Well, he collects a lot of things and it is something special — china — that I have found. It’s what he really likes. And I know he will be happy with that.”
At OISE Oxford, we hope the Prince will have the chance to eat lots of cake. Happy Birthday!
The Oxford Green Belt was established many years ago to protect the setting of the dreaming spires of Oxford, both looking in and out of Oxford.Its objective is to mark and protect the green areas of Oxford and the surrounding county by preventing it being built upon.
Port Meadow is a beautiful stretch of grassland, to the north and west of Oxford, through which the river Thames passes. This meadow is, of course, part of Oxford's Green Belt area.
Early last year, Oxford University (rather embarrassingly) managed to obtain permission from the Oxford City Council to build high blocks of student housing right next to the meadow. While the housing was not built on the meadow itself, it has completely ruined the skyline. Before the meadow looked onto beautiful views of Oxford's dreaming spires, and now the views have been severely damaged by these ugly student digs.
Since and during the construction of these buildings, local residents, old and current, along with tourists who have grown to love and appreciate Oxford's beauty have been deeply upset by the situation. Various campaigns have taken place, including an online petition that has accumulated over 2200 signatures in an attempt to have the University take these buildings down.
Last week protesters seized the moment when Prince Charles visited the Said Business School to hand him a letter asking for his support. One can only hope that with mounting pressure from the public the University of Oxford will come to their senses, realise their mistake and take down these ghastly buildings.
