#St Andrews University

[world-of-wales]

Miss Catherine Middleton with Laura Warshauer at a local St Andrews camera shop as they looked for equipment to shoot Laura's CBS audition tape. Catherine was the one who ending up filming Laura's audition (Photo Courtesy - Laura Warshauer) | SEPTEMBER 2001

[thepastisalreadywritten]

[the-wales-5]

"Crazy for this girl " (Chapter 1)

Introduction

September 2001.

“Wouldn't you sign this picture for me? Please, I will keep it with myself forever! It will be my favourite item in the room! Yes, I know you are not signing autographs, but you can make an exception for me, right?”

“Look here! It’s my new camera, and I want yours to be the first picture there!”

All these voices full of excitement were ringing in his head yet long after he went to his room. Prince William tried to attend as many seminars and lectures as he could, especially that it was the very beginning of his studies, but the unhealthy interest he had been getting from the young women in the corridor every day was scaring him. He thought that the University of St Andrews in Scotland would be the best possible choice even with the assumption that lots of people would want to talk with him or take a picture, so he tried to get used to it. However, what he'd been experiencing for the past few days made him feel unsettled and exceeded his worst expectations.

He finally sat down on the bed and tried to rest after a day with two lectures and that recent stressful situation. After a while, he decided to take a look through notes he made throughout the day, on one of the pages was written “Bring to the classes in two days”, followed by a title of the book all the students were supposed to have. The prince cursed at the thought of going out of his room and meeting a group of excited or rather overly-excited and hysterical girls once more that day. However, he knew that many other students always borrowed books as soon as possible. Due to that unspoken rule, he had already lost a chance to get one of the important papers before class in the previous week. As a consequence, at that moment, he was determined to completely ignore all the people waiting and get through to the library.

*

“I do not understand all that fuss you are creating here for days” a brunette thought as she passed by some of her female friends who were still enthusiastically talking about the Prince of Wales’ son. She did not express her thoughts out loud, though, as she was in the minority of people thinking that William's arrival at the university was a ‘normal’ thing and not something to gush about constantly.

*

After asking about the book, William was left in disappointment again. The last copy was taken away by someone else just fifteen minutes earlier. After hearing the words “You can ask her”, William assumed that yet another forced and weird conversation was awaiting him.

“Miss Middleton. Her name is on that list given out to all the students on the first day, am I right?” A person working in the library said and rolled his eyes a little. Although he knew that a prince stood in front of him, he still felt an annoyance over first-year students' awkwardness and confusion about every simple rule.

“Yes, of course” William cleared throat moments later “We've simply had no chance to talk yet”. This time, he was the one to not receive a reply and left the library in the following seconds.

***

Chapter 2

[royalchildreneurope]

New : Countess Luana of Orange-Nassau will start her study at the University of St Andrews in Scotland in September 2024 -August 10th 2024.

[thecrownnet]

Here’s your first look at Prince William and Kate Middleton in ‘The Crown’ The next season of "The Crown" will depict Will and Kate's college romance.

Photo [1] [2] Actor Ed McVey, as Prince William and actress Meg Bellamy, film "The Crown" at St. Andrews in March 2023.Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images [3] The real Kate Middleton at St Andrews graduation ceremony.Michael Dunlea / AFP via Getty Images [4] Prince William arrives for his first day of school at St. Andrews University September 23, 2001 in Scotland. UK Press / Getty Images

[geologyedinburgh]

Every Thursday from 1 pm till 2.30 pm. Eco Hub, Kinnessburn Road.

[theabigailthorn]

UNIVERSITY CHALLENGE BAYBEEE

I'm gonna be on University Flippin' Challenge!

Tune into BBC2 at 20:30 on New Year's Eve to catch me representing my alma mater St Andrews in the Celebrity Christmas Special!

It'll be available on iPlayer afterwards too!

-------------- TRANSLATION FOR BAFFLED AMERICANS ------------------

University Challenge is a quiz show on the BBC, it's been going since 1962 and it's a British institution. Viewing figures are usually measured in the millions and it's a huge honour to be invited on. It's famously super difficult. There's no prize money and after I'd paid my makeup artist and manager I was actually down fifty quid lmao; you do it purely for the love of the game

[brutalistinteriors]

University of St Andrews Library, Scotland. Faulkner-Brown, Hendy, Watkinson, Stonor.

[the-academic-explorer]

Snowy St Andrews, Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[thewales-family]

The Princess of Wales June 2024 Photo Challenge

4. Favourite photo(s) of Catherine at university

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Donald Padgett at The Advocate:

A state investigation into the Washington University Transgender Center at St. Louis Children’s Hospital has expanded to target therapists and social workers who may have minors seeking gender-affirming care. Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey is seeking redacted or lightly redacted medical records of patients who received care at the facility. The state investigation of the center is one of many currently underway, including one by U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley. The move left the state’s trans and healthcare communities with concern over future access to gender-affirming care for transgender youth in the state, the Missouri Independent reported.

“The attorney general has created a hostile environment for medical providers where they are afraid to stay and practice medicine,” Katy Erker-Lynch, executive director of PROMO, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group in the state, said. Bailey is reviewing the records at the Missouri Division of Professional Registration which oversees the state’s medical licensing as part of the investigation. He had earlier targeted Planned Parenthood Great Plains and Children’s Mercy, a hospital in Kansas City. Bailey has reportedly interviewed 57 healthcare professionals in connection with the investigation. Licensed clinical social worker Kelly Storck spoke with senior investigator Nick McBroom as part of the investigation.

[...]

The Center earlier turned over a spreadsheet providing information regarding patients seeking gender-affirming care, including visits, medications, and other normally private information. The mother of one patient who received care at the Center, a 17-year-old trans boy named Levi, described the investigation as “invasive” and said it was causing unwarranted disruption in their lives. “The state has already basically disrupted our lives,” Becky Hormuth told the Independent. “They’ve disrupted our families, our children’s lives with the legislation that has passed. Then for him to continue going on is even more invasive and damaging.” After Missouri passed a ban on gender-affirming care for minors last year, Bailey issued an emergency rule banning similar care for trans adults as well. In the document laying out the policy, he said these treatments “lack solid evidentiary support” and “pose very serious side effects.” He withdrew the rule when state lawmakers acted. Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican, signed the ban into law in June. It was quickly challenged in court, but a judge allowed it to go into effect.

Missouri AG Andrew Bailey (R) continues his farcical investigation into gender-affirming care providers, extending his targets to therapists and social workers who assist minors in obtaining gender-affirming care.

[thepastisalreadywritten]

It is one of the country’s most prestigious public schools, a historic building on the edge of a pretty town that has educated everyone from poets to comedians – and now counts a future queen among its alumni.

Since it was founded in 1843 for the purpose of educating the sons of clergymen, the £42,930-per-year Marlborough College has seen artist William Morris, the poets John Betjeman and Siegfried Sassoon, and Samantha Cameron, wife of the former prime minister David Cameron, as well as funnyman Jack Whitehall pass through its halls and corridors.

And in 1996 – seven years after it became fully co-educational, having previously only admitted girls in the sixth form - it welcomed a princess-in-waiting, even if few might have guessed it at first.

The then 14-year-old Kate Middleton arrived in Marlborough, Wiltshire, as a shy and lanky teen, having moved after enduring alleged bullying at her previous school, Downe House.

It would prove to be an entrée into a world, which would eventually see her rubbing shoulders with a notably privileged group of students and see her secure a place at the ancient St Andrews University – where Prince William happened to be studying.

Such a trajectory seemed unlikely when she first arrived in rural Wiltshire, however.

‘She had very little confidence,’ recalled her dorm mate Gemma Williamson, who described the new arrival who joined in the middle of the year as 'thin and pale.'

Kate’s house tutor Joan Gall said she was suffering from eczema due to stress.

‘When she arrived, she was very quiet. Coming into a big school like Marlborough was difficult, but she settled in quickly.’

Miss Gall previously said: ‘It was like a big, happy family. We would do things like bake cakes and watch videos.’

Certainly, the girl who would go on to become a celebrated royal beauty did not initially catch the eye of male pupils, who would crudely give passing girls a score out of ten as they made their way to supper. Kate was given a mere two.

Yet during her four years at Marlborough, the future Princess of Wales blossomed into a beautiful, sought after young woman as well as an accomplished one who excelled at hockey and who would go on to become co-captain of the tennis team.

In fact, unlike her time at Downe House, Kate felt at home from the start of her time at Marlborough, where she joined the school's cosy all-girls boarding house, Elmhurst.

Contemporaries recall her as the perfect pupil, listening to her Walkman, watching Friends and indulging in Marmite sandwiches.

Meanwhile, housemistress Ann Patching recalled her former pupil's love of lasagne and pasta bakes but said that 'Kate always stayed very slim.’

Naturally kind hearted, she quickly gained a close circle of friends, among them her peers on the hockey team, one of whom accompanied her on a trip to Ibiza to recover from her heartbreak after she briefly broke up with Prince William in 2007.

Unfazed by her popularity however, she remained a responsible role model and was never caught with illicit booze unlike her friends, one of whom once confided:

'A group of us used to sneak off to Reading to go drinking but she would never join us.'

In fact, Kate was only charged with one lapse in good behaviour when she threw up on the train home after an all-night champagne and dance party hosted by a member of her hockey team.

It was after a hockey tour to Argentina, friends recall – followed by a family trip to the Caribbean - that a then 16-year-old Kate returned to the school sixth firm newly transformed.

‘She was an absolute beauty,‘ according to friend Gemma, who says 'boys now fancied her rotten.’

Among them was the comedian Jack Whitehall, who attended Marlborough a few years below Kate and who admitted in an interview that she was his first crush.

He later joked of being jealous of the attention the princess received from the school, venting:

''I went to the same secondary school as Kate Middleton and she's someone they like to talk about.

I've been sending them a letter each year saying maybe now it's time to put me in the school prospectus or on the walls. I feel like I'm their dirty little secret.'

Nonetheless, despite becoming a favoured among the boys, the princess did not have lengthy dalliances with the opposite sex.

'I got the distinct impression that Catherine wanted to save herself for someone special,' said Gemma previously.

Her first kiss is believed to have been with Woody, the elder brother of Alice St John Webster - one of Kate's closest friends.

She also reportedly had a brief romance with Harry Blakelock, captain of the rugby team, which fizzled out after he left school, leaving Kate 'heartbroken.'

There’s no question that Kate made quite an impact on her school, later hailed as 'Person most likely to be loved by everybody' in her yearbook, when she departed on her gap year before heading to University of St Andrews after achieving two As and a B in her A Levels.

By then, she had been followed to Marlborough by her younger sister Pippa who, untainted by earlier experiences of bullying, was seen by contemporaries as the more naturally confident half of the Middleton pair.

She enrolled at the same boarding house as her older sister and joined the hockey team, yet there was little in the way of sibling rivalry according to contemporaries.

In fact, along with friend Alice St John Webster, they are remembered as a tight trio.

'Alice, Pippa and Kate were a very tight group and all best friends from the age of 14 upwards. It could be a bit suffocating. They did everything together,' one friend said.

Riding a wave of success in the sporting and social spheres at prep school, Pippa won an all-rounder scholarship to Marlborough and became captain of the hockey team.

Unlike Kate's meek start at the college, Pippa took every opportunity to make an impression at the school, with one contemporary saying:

'Pippa was slightly tough and, back then, the one with the charisma. No one would ever think of bullying her.'

She was given the unfortunate nickname 'pan face' because of her supposed flat features but was not put off trying to impress her male peers, even when playing sport.

'My focus is on winning and making sure that my hair — fashioned into a slick Sporty Spice “up do” — is just right. Did I mention boys watching?' she wrote in the Spectator.

Seen as the 'alpha' sister in contrast to 'kind hearted, home-loving' Kate, Pippa 'loved being the centre of attention' according to one contemporary.

She was chatty, funny and louder than her sister but, despite her sociable nature, she followed Kate's example of dodging drinking and smoking.

Housemistress Ann Patching later described the relationship between the well-behaved pair saying:

'Pippa was good at everything and sharper academically, but I don’t think Catherine ever resented that.'

Twenty three years after Kate departed for the last time, meanwhile, there is no question that the school - with its serene setting amid two lakes, and boasting a competition swimming pool, cricket pavilion and international-standard athletics track - remains a popular destination for well-heeled parents.

According to the Which school guide, competition for places at the school increased after it became known as the alma mater of the Princess of Wales.

Nor has it stopped it being mired in the occasional scandal.

In 2016, some of the older pupils brought in a stripper to perform on the grounds, an act later branded 'inappropriate' by the school.

The boarding school was also criticised last year for not carrying out necessary safeguarding checks on teachers, after an Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) report revealed that checks including barred lists for prior criminal offences were not completed.

A spokesperson for the school said at the time:

'Since our compliance inspection, the college has upgraded the record-keeping processes highlighted in the ISI report.

'We have been keeping our parents informed and are looking forward to an early re-inspection.'

None of this is likely to deter the wealthy elite, many of whom will doubtless be anxious for their own offspring to attend a school that prepped the Princess of Wales for her royal calling – and if rumour has it, may also be set to educate her offspring.

[the-wales-5]

"Crazy for this girl" (Chapter 2)

On the next day, she was walking through the corridor towards the lecture hall when all of a sudden, the other girls were again talking about William.

“Don’t you think this is childish at this point?” She said a little bit louder than usual to her friend who joined in one of the conversations. William could hear those words and nodded in agreement with her, hiding a sigh.

He wanted to move closer to that girl and ask about something considering the lecture, but right at that moment, he noticed something that she had in her bag. The last copy of the book he wanted to get the day before. “Word and image in ancient Greece” by Keith Rutter.

He knew it was her. A person who took the last copy from the library. “Miss Middleton”. The reason why he recognised her so fast was simple. She was the only person attending the same course who hadn't tried to get into a chat since his first days in Fife.

The young woman at last turned her head towards the spot where he was standing. Despite her indifferent reaction to his arrival and initial thoughts about him or words spoken to her ‘classmates’ just a few seconds before, her face went bright red. William tried to hide his soft chuckle after he made an observation on that.

“Hi, I'm Steve” he introduced himself with a nickname that was already in use by

a few of his friends, so as to avoid unwanted attention and shield his royal identity.

“Catherine Middleton, but everyone call me Kate” she smiled a little

“It is a pretty name” he replied

After a few seconds, the prince wanted to begin a conversation about the book she had ‘stolen from him’ the day before, but it did not occur. Middleton scuttled off and followed her friend into the lecture room right after her eyes met those of William's.

***

“You were talking with the prince today, Kate! How did it go? Tell me everything” her friend asked excitedly as they were sitting in Catherine’s room in the early evening.

“I’ve simply introduced myself. It is nothing extraordinary. You should know that” Catherine replied, rolling her eyes. She was quite annoyed by the behaviour of people around her. It seemed simply wrong and immature in her eyes. There was one thing she could not deny, though. He seemed to be perhaps one of the kindest people attending the same course as her. What she did not know was that while she was talking about him, William was remembering their meeting.

One of the last thoughts on his mind that day was “There is something special about her”.

*

“It is difficult to believe that the prettiest girl in Sally’s is the source of your anger” Fergus Boyd, one of the prince’s closest friends told him one afternoon after noticing Catherine in attendance at a rugby match where William played along other students, After setting his eyes on her, he was irritated, or rather tried to act as if it actually was his real emotion. She was wearing simple jeans and a jacket. Simplicity at its finest.

“Prettiest girl in Sally’s? What do you mean?” “She earned this title back in Freshers Week. You can not deny that it is correct, even if the outfit right now doesn't do her beauty much justice” Fergus replied “By the way, any plans for Saturday evening? I’ve heard someone from the third year is hosting a party..”

William did not reply. He was looking at Catherine and once more wondered if she kept a copy of that book in the bag. In the early morning, although he was aware that it was a ridiculous idea, he was even thinking of stealing it.

**

Finally came the day of the classes for which a “damned” book (as he called it) about ancient Greece was needed. Earlier, “Steve” asked some people for his “last resort”: photocopy of chapters. Unfortunately, everyone was too busy with assignments or university organisational matters. As a consequence, they could not find a few minutes to help with the necessary pages. As he sat in his chair, with embarrassment, asked a guy sitting next to him to share some of his notes.

Kate Middleton entered and sat next to another girl in the row right in front of William. His fury directed at her left for some time, but it had returned the moment he saw her. The professor frowned at the noise in the room. “For today's class, you were all supposed to bring “Word and image in ancient Greece” by Rutter. Is there anyone who doesn't have at least a photocopy?” .

William remained silent, hoping that work with the guy next to him would be enough to hide the absence of the book from the professor.

“Alright. Since you're the first year students, we all want you to get to know one another as your communication is the key to your better work. There is no better way to do that than analysing a text and a painting in pairs. Chapter II in the book, page 38. Two days ago, you were working with the person next to you. Today, try to exchange views with the person who sits behind you”.

Everyone quickly scanned the room. William looked behind himself and found a wall, literally. His row was the last one in the room.

He hid a sigh full of frustration as he heard a woman calling him “Steve? I guess we are to work together. You've got no one behind you” she chuckled lightly, but William didn't say a word in a response.

“Well..” Catherine cleared her throat “Have you finally got the book?”

The words from the professor interrupted William's thoughts: “You've got 20 to 25 minutes for a chat, and then you'll share your views with the rest of the group. Good luck!”.

Miss Middleton repeated her question and, after a second, pulled out her copy.

“I don't know what you meant by ‘finally’ because this is only my second unpreparedness. Is your copy the last one from the library?” William laughed dryly, proceeding to stare at the book cover. Kate rolled her eyes a little and blinked “How do you know?”

“It was supposed to be mine. I went to borrow, and I was told you took the last copy. It is like déjà vu from a few days ago. So this time, my ‘forgetfulness is partly your fault”

“Oh, you should've told me earlier. That way, I could share some materials. Now it is too late to make a photocopy”

“It is fine,” he said and shrugged.

“Better luck next time. We shall start analysing this text now” Middleton said.

William looked at her face finally, and a little smile escaped his lips, but soon it was replaced by a look full of concentration on text on page 38, followed by a discussion.

After twenty minutes, they shared their views with the rest of the students. As she packed her things after the class came to an end, William spoke up: “There's no requirement to bring books or anything for the next week, so you wouldn't have a chance to steal things from me again”.

Catherine wanted to apologise, but the moment she looked at him, she noted his slight smile and replied “Yes. Although, next time, go to the library right after classes end. Just a little advice. I suppose it should be easier for you next week. Everyone will get used to seeing you on a daily basis, Steve” Catherine said and sent him a friendly smile before leaving the room. William's eyes followed her for a few seconds, and his thought he tried to ignore, about her being “very special”, reappeared in his thoughts.

***

Chapter 3

[standrewsacademia]

st andrews at night

[daggersoliloquy]

st andrews, scotland

[materialsscienceandengineering]

Hydrogen bonding discovery could transform the use of glowing properties in organic materials

New research from the University of St Andrews has uncovered how hydrogen bonds can enhance the phosphorescence efficiency and versatility of organic luminescent materials, potentially transforming fields such as imaging, anti-counterfeiting, and electronics. The research, led by Dr. Sen Wu, Dr. Tao Wang and Professor Eli Zysman-Colman from the School of Chemistry at St Andrews, and published in CCS Chemistry, reveals a major advancement in understanding how hydrogen bonding can improve the performance and adaptability of organic room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) materials. By harnessing hydrogen bonds, these light-emitting materials, which glow after being exposed to light, could open new possibilities in areas such as imaging, data storage, and anti-counterfeiting technologies.

Read more.