King Charles Club

The King Charles Club (KCC) is a dining society of St John's College, Oxford students.

History

Statue of King Charles I in Canterbury Quad at St John's - often a focus of the Club's activities.

In 1646, St John's College, which sympathised with the Royalists, acted as Prince Rupert of the Rhine's headquarters for his defence of the city of Oxford, and King Charles I, present in Oxford at the time, is believed to have taken refuge with his nephew at the college for a period of time. A possibly apocryphal story relating to these times is that the King treated Prince Rupert and 11 of his closest lieutenants to an especially opulent meal and so the Club was born.[1][2]

Present day

The society is still active in present times,[3] despite being banned from college grounds.[4] "Invitation-only" by nature, the King Charles Club selects only from members of St John's College. The club still follows its centuries old traditions, including the laying of the wreath at Whitehall on the anniversary of the king and martyr's execution. The dinner traditionally celebrated after this event has in recent years been held at Stringfellows, Covent Garden. Peter Stringfellow is the honorary president.[1]

The Conservative politician Aidan Burley was president of the club during his time at St Johns.[5] Canadian Nobel Prize–winning politician Lester Pearson was also a member.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 "Honorary President of the King Charles Club Oxford". Stringfellows. Retrieved 2014-07-01.
  2. 1 2 Symonds, Richard (1991). "Nursing Mother of the Elect". Oxford and Empire: The Last Lost Cause?. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 278–9. ISBN 9780198203001.
  3. ↑ "Strip club mogul fronts John's drinking soc". The Oxford Student. 2014-04-27. Retrieved 2014-07-01.
  4. ↑ "Drinking the town dry". Cherwell.org. 2003-10-08. Retrieved 2012-07-15.
  5. ↑ Nicholas Watt (2011-12-18). "Tory MP who attended Nazi-themed stag party loses ministerial aide post". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 2012-07-15.
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