King Charles royal visit to Oxford University today

His Majesty will officially open the Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre. a major new humanities centre at the University of Oxford, today.

The new centre brings together seven humanities faculties, research institutes and cultural spaces.

The King will meet the university’s chancellor, Lord William Hague, and businessman Stephen Schwarzman, who supported the development of the centre.

He will also engage with project contributors, academics from the university’s humanities division, the centre’s cultural programme team, and community organisations that use the site.

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The King will be serenaded by a choir of secondary school pupils before unveiling a plaque to officially inaugurate the building.

He will then visit the Bate Collection of Musical Instruments, showcasing a gallery of historical instruments.

The King will also see the Sohmen Concert Hall, the world’s first ultra-energy efficient “Passivhaus” standard concert venue, with a student music group rehearsal.

The centre, open to the public, merges academic and cultural activities under a single roof, featuring seven humanities faculties, and the Oxford Internet Institute.

It is also home to a brand-new Bodleian Humanities library.

The single largest construction project in Oxford University’s history, it combines a space for research and a stage for the world.

The centre’s year-round cultural programme, first launched in April 2026, introduces the public to an eclectic mix of music, dance, theatre, and film.

Performance venues within the centre include the Passivhaus concert hall, which boasts 500 seats.

• Read our coverage with pictures of this event on the Oxford Mail website and in tomorrow’s newspaper. More follows…