A Majestic Maundy Visit

On Maundy Thursday, 28 March 2024, we were delighted not only to welcome Her Majesty the Queen to Worcester Cathedral, but also OV Cameron Walker (Os 08-15) back to King’s!

Cameron is currently the Royal Correspondent for GB News, so took advantage of being in Worcester, covering the Royal Visit, to head over to his alma mater between live broadcasts around the Maundy Service.

The school term had finished for the Easter holidays the day before, so things were much quieter than on a typical school day and some of the buildings were locked, but that didn’t stop Cameron and Alumni Relations Co-ordinator, Amada Sutcliffe, having a good walk around.

Cameron had studied Art for GCSE and was keen to pop into the Art School. It was surprisingly busy, as many of the current pupils were taking advantage of having some time to complete preparations for their upcoming exams, with support from Hon OVs Rosie Ellender and Jenny Hewitt. Jenny remembered Cameron from his time at King’s and they had a quick catch-up, although Cameron was sorry not to have seen Head of Art, Chris Haywood (Hon OV) who was due in the following day!

The Keyes Building had not been open long when Cameron was at school, so he enjoyed taking a look, especially heading up to the top floor to see the Drama facilities and the Dance Studio, recalling all the time he had spent practising for both his A-level Drama and school productions. His favourite place in the School had been the John Moore Theatre and particularly the Green Room, where he and his friends had spent many hours practising and performing. He was pleased to see the Green Room hadn’t changed!

Cameron recalled many of his former teachers, especially Andrew Longley (Hon OV), who had been both his Head of Fourth Forms and one of his A-level Geography teachers. In 2025, it will be Cameron’s Ten Year Reunion and he’s looking forward to seeing his school friends, hoping that many of his former teachers will also be there!

In School House, Cameron thought the recent building works had created a very fresh, bright and inviting building: the new Café 1541 was a definite improvement on the old locker room! The top floor of School House was where Cameron remembered learning Spanish, commenting on how great it is to have a building that adapts through the ages, as the classroom had originally been a dormitory, in which many OVs will remember sleeping.

Cameron’s Oswald House common room and locker room, in School House, is now a classroom and offices, but still familiar enough to him. The Removes of Oswald House would meet in entirety each morning for registration, and Cameron shared how it was the aim of the Upper Remove to get the best window seat in the room. He remembered Oswald House Tutors and Hon OVs, the late Christine Battrum, and Elaine Friend with great fondness, and was pleased to find House photos with them both.

The Michael Baker Boathouse was the next stop and Cameron was impressed to see how many ergos there are now to accommodate the number of budding rowers. He had enjoyed rowing at King’s, although with his drama, singing, and coursework commitments, there wasn’t a huge amount of time left for regattas.

Due to the security around the Maundy Service in the Cathedral, College Green was off limits and therefore so was access to College Hall and Edgar Tower. However, that gives Cameron a great reason to come back again soon so he can re-visit those buildings. We’re looking forward to already!