Queen Elizabeth II’s royal link with University of Exeter revealed in rare collection

A new exhibition at the University of Exeter is celebrating the special connection between Queen Elizabeth II and the institution, marking 70 years since she granted its Royal Charter.

The Charter, awarded in October 1955 and sealed in December of that year, formally gave the University its name and status.

Visitors now have a rare chance to see the original document alongside its large Royal seal, a symbol of the University’s transformation from the former University College of the South West of England into a fully recognised university.

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The exhibition, drawn from the University’s Special Collections, highlights the excitement of this landmark year. Among the treasures on display are photographs of the Queen’s visit in May 1956, when she officially presented the Charter and named Queen’s Drive.

A copy of her speech is also included, in which she praised the beauty of the Streatham campus and expressed her confidence that the new University would “play a prominent part in widening the frontiers of knowledge.”

Other items include the embossed congratulatory address given by the Mayor and Town Clerk of Exeter in 1955, complete with the city’s seal, as well as a copy of the South Westerner student newspaper from October 29, 1955. Its headline, “Charter, We’re There!”, captured the moment students and staff had long worked toward.

The exhibition also reflects on the Queen’s enduring connection with the University and the wider community. It offers a glimpse not only of the University’s history, but also of a defining moment for higher education in the South West.

The display can be viewed throughout the year in the Forum Library on the Streatham Campus.