Ahead of the coronation of King Charles III, we spoke to School Archivist, Judith Curati, about Royal visits. In the 148 year history, Habs Girls has received eight visits from members of the Royal family.
In 1875 and 1936, the school welcomed HRH Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught who was the third son of Queen Victoria. He officially opened the school at Hoxton in June 1875 and then was a guest of honour at Commemoration day to distribute prizes at Acton in November 1936.
The school’s next visit came from HRH Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdown and sister of the late Queen Elizabeth II. She made five visits between 1967 and 1992, four of which were to officially open new sections of the school – including the official opening of the school at its Elstree site.
| May 1967 | Visit to school in Acton |
| October 1974 | Official opening of the school at Elstree |
| October 1984 | Official opening of the Bostock Centre to celebrate 10th anniversary at Elstree (second floor of B Block) |
| November 1988 | Official opening of the Sports Hall |
| October 1992 | Official opening of the Wiltshire Building (extension of Junior School and Design and Technology department) |
The last Royal visit came from HRH Prince Edward, the youngest son of the late Queen Elizabeth II, in 2006. HRH Prince Edward attended the official opening of our rebuilt Junior School.
