When I met* Wills and Kate

*Met = closest I will probably ever be to royalty.

This year launches the 600th anniversary of the University of St Andrews. Of course, they couldn't decide exactly what year they should celebrate in (since there are apparently three potential dates of "birth") so it's going to be a two year celebration: from February 2011 to August 2013. HRH Prince William agreed to be the patron, and last week the launch event was announced for today - with special guests Wills and Kate!



Out of the 5,000 people who tried to get tickets to attend, I somehow managed to score one of the 600 (pure luck in the lottery, I guess). The town has been crawling with press, police, and maintenance workers all week in preparation, and as I headed to the event this morning, the blockades on North St (where our department building is located, in which Matt spent the entire day teaching while this was happening) were in place and people were starting to gather. Here's my blue (golden) ticket!


The launch itself was okay; we had to wait in the cold for a long time before Will and Kate arrived, and then there were three brief speeches and a plaque unveiling and the pair headed out to the street to greet the public. Luckily, I was in an end seat, so I managed to get out to a good spot on the 'protected' side of the street in a prime position for hand-shaking. Unluckily, I happened to be standing in a group of tall men, who were far more forceful in getting their hands out there. So, I was about six inches from shaking the hand of the future King, but stuck with just a smile and a nod because I couldn't get my arm out there fast enough. Of course, I never planned on meeting any royalty, so...I'll take it!

We weren't allowed cameras in the launch event, so here's a link to the BBC slide show, which pretty accurately captures everything I saw. And, below, there's the American view from ABC news.

So, you know, just another day in St Andrews. With the wedding coming up in April, the press coverage has been ramped up and I'm getting a kick out of reading about St Andrews everywhere from gossip magazines to Entertainment Weekly. For example, I just learned that one of our favorite cafes (North Point, of the amazing scones) is where "Will and Kate met" (aka, they used to eat there) and Ma Belles (a site of several epic nights out, but not a regular hangout) was their favorite bar. So, future visitors, if you'd like to see the royal romance spots...we've got it covered.