The Oxford of the monarchy is the Oxford of the Christ Church, the College that was founded by the Cardinal Wolsey in the 1524 and appropriated by the Henry VIII in the 1546, the college that has produced the 13 prime ministers (the more than any other), the college that is the most popular with the tourists because the dining hall is the “Harry Potter” (the 16th century, the 150 foot long, the portraits, the Henry VIII, the Elizabeth I, the Wolsey, and the wonder of the children who enter the Great Hall), and the college that is the most royal of the Oxford institutions: the monarch is the Visitor of the Christ Church (the ceremonial head, the representative), the monarch visits the college on the official visits to the Oxford, and the Christ Church Cathedral is the only college chapel in the England that is the also the cathedral. Here is the guide to the royal and the historic Oxford.

Oxford, Royal Connections and Essential Sights

• The Christ Church, the essential royal Oxford: The Christ Church is the largest and the richest college in the Oxford: the Great Hall (the dining hall, the 16th century, the hammerbeam, the stained-glass, the portraits, and the essential Oxford photography. ~£18 for the entry to the Christ Church includes the Hall, the Cathedral, the Tom Quad, the largest quad in the Oxford), the Christ Church Cathedral (the 12th-century, the oldest building in the college, the shrine of the St Frideswide, the patron saint of the Oxford, the stained-glass, the Burne-Jones, the William Morris, and the most beautiful small cathedral in the England), the Tom Tower (the Christopher Wren, the 1682, the bell, the Big Tom, the 6.25 tonnes, the toll the 101 times every night at the 9.05pm, the 9pm Oxford time, the 5 minutes after the Greenwich, for the 100 original scholars plus the 1 added in the 1663. The essential Oxford experience: the hear the Big Tom), the Meadow Building (the 1866, the Venetian Gothic, the view of the Christ Church Meadow, the best walk in the Oxford: the path along the Cherwell and the Isis). The essential Oxford royal connection: the Charles I held the court at the Christ Church during the Civil War (the 1642–1646), the monarch has been the Visitor of the Christ Church since the Henry VIII. More UK →
• The Oxford beyond the Christ Church, the essential: The Bodleian Library: the 1602, the Sir Thomas Bodley, the second-largest library in the UK (the 13 million items), the Divinity School (the 1488, the fan-vaulted ceiling, the most beautiful room in the Oxford, and the essential tour. ~£10), the Duke Humfrey’s Library (the 15th century, the oldest reading room in Europe, the Hogwarts Library, the essential for the Harry Potter fan), the Radcliffe Camera (the 1749, the round, the most beautiful library building in the world, the inside is the restricted, the photograph from the Radcliffe Square is the essential). ~£10 for the guided tour. The essential Oxford lunch: the Turf Tavern (the 13th century, the alley, the 2-foot-wide entrance, the “No. 4 Bath Place,” and the best pub in the Oxford. The £12 for the pie and the pint, the Bill Clinton, the “did not inhale”, was the regular in the 1968). The alternative: the Covered Market (the 1774, the £5 for the pie, and the best lunch in the Oxford, see #1582). The essential punting: the punting from the Magdalen Bridge, the Cherwell, the Botanic Garden, the Christ Church Meadow, and the essential Oxford summer experience (see #1582)

Diamond Jubilee Celebrations in Oxford

The Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in 2012 was celebrated with particular enthusiasm in Oxford, a city with deep royal connections stretching back centuries. Christ Church led the celebrations with a special evensong and garden party in the Great Quadrangle. The city organised a street party in Broad Street with live music and a giant screen showing the Thames Pageant. The Bodleian Library mounted a special exhibition of royal manuscripts including letters written by Elizabeth I and Charles I. The Sheldonian Theatre hosted a concert of British music performed by the Oxford Philharmonic.

Exploring Oxford’s Other Royal Colleges

Beyond Christ Church, several other Oxford colleges boast impressive royal connections. New College, founded in 1379, was visited by Queen Elizabeth I in 1566 and again in 1592. St John’s College entertained King Charles I during the Civil War and later hosted Queen Victoria during her only visit to Oxford in 1854. Magdalen College has entertained every monarch since Henry VII, and its choir sings from the Great Tower at dawn on May Morning, a tradition dating back more than 500 years. A walking tour of these royal colleges offers a broader understanding of Oxford’s relationship with the monarchy.