Lord Lieutenant visit students in Northamptonshire

As the King’s representative in the county, the Lord Lieutenant came to speak to students about his role, how he can support them and get their views and feedback on the Monarchy and where it fits in modern day society.

When asked about why he wanted to visit the students, the Lord Lieutenant said: “I think it is really important to come and speak to the students. They are the future.

"For a lot of them they wonder what is this office that I hold and does it have any relevance to them. I am interested to hear what they think, I want to find the chink that will resonate with them.

“I fully expect some of them to question the role and that of the Monarchy, but actually the Lord Lieutenant’s role is there to try and do some good. That’s’ why I am here, to explain what the role of the Monarchy and this office is and how it fits into society.

"I am happy to be challenged about whether it is still relevant and whether it works. I think it does, I wouldn’t be in this role if I didn’t.”

The sessions in Kettering and Corby were extremely well attended by students from both Tresham College and The Corby Sixth Form. Topics raised included the role of the monarchy, questions on the Commonwealth and independence, why the term British Empire is still used in Honours when we are trying to move away from a colonial past, and whether it’s right to have a wealthy Royal Family when we have a cost of living crisis.

Principle Robin Webber-Jones commented: “The students were really engaged and asked some well informed and challenging questions which I know James was keen for them to do.

"We have a long standing relationship with the Lord Lieutenants office and have worked with James on a number of important initiatives. He is always incredibly supportive of the work we do at The Bedford College Group and we were only too happy to arrange the visit which I think the students got a lot from.”