Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 14, 1993 TAG: 9302140199
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: PHILIP WALZER LANDMARK NEWS SERVICE
DATELINE: WILLIAMSBURG LENGTH: Medium
W&M RECEIVES ROYAL TREATMENT
The College of William and Mary, with nostalgia for its 300-year history, offered a wildly enthusiastic reception Saturday to a distant relative of the couple who opened the school.Prince Charles was greeted with a burst of cheers and applause as he walked into William and Mary Hall to give the keynote speech for Charter Day, the highlight of the school's anniversary celebration.
For the prince, beleaguered by endless front-page gossip, it was the warmest response he's gotten in a while, according to British journalists accompanying him. And he didn't hide his gratitude.
"Anybody would think it was the end of term the way you're behaving," Charles said after a 23-second standing ovation from 10,000 dignitaries, alumni and students, many in graduation gowns. "It's wonderful to come to Virginia and receive such a warm and very encouraging welcome. Thank you very much, indeed. I do appreciate it."
The Prince of Wales wore a floor-length black robe embroidered with gold thread, but his manner was almost casual - tucking his left hand in his pocket and swaying slightly.
In his 20-minute speech, he talked of the need to fuse "science and spirituality" and the dangers of forgetting great works of literature in the rush to embrace the new. But he also showed flashes of self-deprecating humor.
Prince Charles, 44, was the first person to receive an honorary fellowship - making him a member of the school for life - when he initially visited the campus in 1981, two months before his marriage to Diana.
Recalling his previous visit to the school, Charles said, "In those days I was young and relatively inexperienced, like most of you here." The students howled. "In these days," Charles continued, "I am middle-aged and relatively inexperienced."
This week, the college was inundated with reporters asking students about the suitability of the prince as keynote speaker. The Flat Hat, the student newspaper, finally declared in an exasperated editorial: "The purpose of his visit is to reinforce our bond with the British royalty, not serve as role model for the students of William and Mary."
The Charter Day celebration featuring Charles was standing room only, and a few students scalped their free tickets for $20. Despite the 38-degree weather, six Delta Gamma sorority sisters lined up at 6 a.m. to get a close view of the prince.
Three proper, middle-aged women, "Lady Cynthia," "Lady Polly" and "Lady Virginia", arrived at William and Mary Hall Saturday morning wearing construction-paper tiaras decorated with gold glitter, ribbon and buttons. As parents who had forked over a small fortune for tuition, they felt entitled to celebrate a visit from Prince Charles with a touch of irreverance.
"We paid dearly for our crowns," said Lady Cynthia with a wink.
After his speech, Charles met privately for 15 minutes with 16 student leaders. Later, they described a down-to-earth man who asked about their coursework and put them at ease. Talking about cooking, he offered a joke about a woman who put her cat in a microwave to dry it. About computers, he said his sons were more advanced than he is.
He asked Shawn Knight, captain of the football team, how he balanced sports and studies. "There was really no royal attitude about him," said Knight, a junior from Norfolk.
For William and Mary, it was a day to shine unaccompanied in the spotlight.
The school is the second-oldest in the country, 57 years behind Harvard. It received its charter in 1693 from King William III and Queen Mary II.
The Washington Post contributed information for this story.