At Royal Holloway, lifelong connections are formed every day. Sometimes in lectures, sometimes in societies, and sometimes at a themed social. This Valentine’s Day, we’re sharing the stories of two alumni couples whose university connections turned into something more.
Nothing Else Matters: A Rock and Metal Love Story
When Francesca (English, 2022; English Literature, 2023) organised a Freshers’ Week social for the Rock & Metal society as part of the committee, she didn’t expect to meet someone who would change her life. Daniel (Information Security, 2024) attended with his flatmates, and, by his own admission, it was love at first sight.
''I saw Francesca. I saw that she was the most amazing beautiful person there and I just had to keep coming back.''
What began as chance encounters at society socials soon became something they both looked forward to, with Daniel quickly becoming the highlight of Francesca’s evenings. Today, they’re happily living together just a short walk from campus — still returning to Royal Holloway for walks and visits to the place where it all began.
From Humans vs Zombies Social to Engagement
Florence (Physics with Music, 2017; Physics 2018; Electronic Engineering 2024) and Dan (Physics, 2018; PhD Electronic Engineering, 2024) first crossed paths in 2014 during their lab induction. With surnames towards the end of the alphabet, they found themselves grouped together — though at the time, neither paid the other much attention.
It wasn’t until a Humans vs Zombies social that they properly connected, followed by turning up together (very early) for a Physics lecture the next morning, the rest is history.
''We started dating our second year, in 2015, and almost exactly ten years later...we got engaged!''
