A welcome fit for a princess

A crowd of more than 300 turned out to welcome Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary to ANU earlier this month.

Royal couple

The Danish royal couple visited the University to witness the signing of Memoranda of Understanding between ANU and the Universities of Copenhagen and Aarhus in Denmark.

Members of the ANU community and the general public made up the crowd of cheering well-wishers that began to gather more than an hour before the royal party arrived.
One of the first people to greet the royal couple was 11-year-old Brittany Whitworth (pictured, below) who had picked and arranged flowers from her garden that morning to give to the Princess.

"Brittany was absolutely rapt to meet her, although she was a bit shy when it came to talking the Princess," said Brittany's father, ANU Occupational Safety Adviser Glyn Whitworth.

Brittany meets the Crown Princess

Also in the crowd was five-year-old Sian Phillips, granddaughter of National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science Professor Mike Gore, who presented the Crown Princess with a bouquet of Fruit Tingles.

The Memoranda of Understanding provide for collaboration in research, the possibility of joint degrees and joint teaching, and for staff and student exchange. They were signed by the Vice-Chancellor of ANU, Professor Ian Chubb, the Rector of the University of Copenhagen, Professor Linda Nielsen, and the Rector of the University of Aarhus, Professor Niels Sidenius, at University House.