Skip to main content

Honorary fellowships

Recognising outstanding contribution to the University

Honorary Fellowships of Royal Holloway, University of London are awarded to people who have shown loyalty and commitment to the University.

Honorary Fellows

Honorary Fellows are not staff or students of the University, but are an active part of our community. They are people who have given considerable service to Royal Holloway, our local community, or to education more broadly and all of them have achieved in their careers, at the University, locally, nationally or on the world stage. We value our Honorary Fellows' specialist knowledge or expertise, their willingness to share this with the University community in some way in order to contribute to our future success, or the support they have already given and the part they have played in making us the successful and vibrant university we are today.

Honorary Fellows are awarded to people who have an existing connection to Royal Holloway, University of London – this may be as alumni of the University, or the colleges from which we trace our history, Bedford College and Royal Holloway College. Honorary Fellows may also be family, guardians or carers of former students, individuals with a strong local connection, or supporters and enablers of the University’s strategic priorities.

The Honorary Fellows Ceremony

Unlike Honorary Degrees, which are awarded at graduation ceremonies, Honorary Fellowships are awarded at a special ceremony in the summer term. Every year we invite all of our Honorary Fellows and honorary graduates to join us to welcome new Honorary Fellows. A citation for each of the new Honorary Fellows, outlining their special contribution to Royal Holloway, is read by an academic member of staff and one of the Honorary Fellows is invited to speak on behalf of the new Honorary Fellows. Following the ceremony, Honorary Fellows are joined by other guests and staff for a celebration.

Many of our Honorary Fellows return each year, processing into the ceremony in their striking purple and green Honorary Fellows gowns. Taken from the colours of Bedford College, the purple and green are a reminder to everyone present of the pioneering history of both Bedford and Royal Holloway Colleges, two of the first colleges in the world providing higher education to women.

  • Kate Adie CBE DL
  • Surinder Arora
  • The Rt Hon The Baroness Ashton of Upholland GCMG
  • The Rt Hon The Baroness Bakewell DBE
  • His Honour Brian Barker CBE QC
  • Professor Caroline Barron OBE
  • Tony Bathews
  • Professor Philip Beesley
  • David Beever
  • Professor Henry Beker
  • Professor Derek Blundell
  • Sir Drummond Bone FRSE FRSA
  • Professor Peter Bramley
  • Professor Jacky Bratton
  • Professor Jane Broadbent
  • Professor Peter Brown FBA
  • The Revd Dr Arnold Browne
  • Preston Bryant Jr
  • Susan Bullock CBE
  • Sir Andrew Burns KCMG
  • Rob Childs
  • Lady Kitty Chisholm FRSA
  • Sophie Christiansen CBE
  • Donald Clarke
  • Professor Sir Ronald Cooke FRGS DL
  • Sir Peter Crane FRS
  • Dr Claire Gobbi Daunton
  • Máire Davies
  • Professor Bruce deGrazia
  • Dame Judi Dench CH DBE FRSA
  • Professor David Denney
  • Julia Desbruslais
  • James Dixon
  • Professor Gavin Drewry
  • The Rt Hon The Lord Etherton Kt PC KC
  • Professor Michael Eysenck
  • Professor Dame Janet Finch DBE DL FAcSS
  • Nick Firth
  • The Baroness Fookes of Plymouth DBE DL
  • Professor Mary Fowler FRAS FGS FRCGS
  • Sarah Fox
  • Jennifer Glastonbury
  • Dame Sarah Goad DCVO
  • Professor Norman Gowar
  • Emeitus Professor Mike Green
  • Janice Hadlow
  • The Very Revd Father Robert Hamilton
  • Dr Richard Hancock MBE
  • Kitty Hart-Moxon OBE
  • Majid Hawa
  • The Lady Heseltine
  • Dame Olwen Hufton DBE FBA FRHistS
  • Simon Hughes
  • Vanessa Kingori OBE
  • Dr Pirkko Koppinen
  • The Rt Hon Sir David Latham PC
  • Professor Paul Layzell CBE
  • Anastasios Paul Leventis CBE OFR
  • Edmée Leventis OBE
  • Jason Lewis
  • Enid Light
  • Dame Felicity Lott DBE FRAM FRCM
  • Prakriti Malhotra
  • Professor Ursula Martin CBE
  • Sir Brian May CBE
  • Jeremy McIlroy
  • Mike Miller
  • Dr Alan Mills
  • Professor Moreton Moore
  • Yazan Mufti
  • Dr Mark Nesbitt
  • Dinah Nichols CB
  • Father Vlad Nikiforov
  • Kit Oliver OBE DL
  • Sir Andrew Parmley KStJ
  • Professor Lionel Pike FRCO
  • Dr John Prebble
  • Dr Alice Prochaska FRHistS
  • Helene Raynsford
  • Sir Alec Reed CBE FCMA FCIPD
  • Bridget Riley CH CBE
  • Professor Francis Robinson CBE
  • Professor Jim Rose
  • Iain Ross
  • Jane Ross
  • Martin Sadler OBE
  • Bobby Seagull
  • The Hon Lavinia Sealy DL
  • The Hon Raymond G H Seitz
  • Brian Smethurst
  • Kyriaki Spanou
  • Ann Steptoe
  • Dr Doron Swade MBE
  • Joby Talbot
  • Anna Templeton MBE
  • Dr Simon Thurley CBE FSA FRIBA FRHistS
  • Pat Toms
  • Sarah Tyacke CB FSA FRHistS FRGS
  • Dr Klaus Vedder
  • Professor Bernie Vining
  • Adrian Waddingham CBE
  • Dame Judith Weir DBE HonFRSE
  • Francis Wheen
  • Fiona Wilkinson FCA
  • Caroline Willbourne
  • Richard Williams
  • Tim Williams
  • Geoff Woodger
  • Peter Worth
  • Roger Wright CBE
  • Professor Euh Yoon-Dae
Vanessa

Vanessa Kingori, Chief Business Officer, Condé Nast Britain, honorary fellow and alumna

Explore Royal Holloway

Arrivals Sept 2017 77 1.jpg

Get help paying for your studies at Royal Holloway through a range of scholarships and bursaries.

clubs-societies_REDUCED.jpg

There are lots of exciting ways to get involved at Royal Holloway. Discover new interests and enjoy existing ones.

Accommodation home hero

Heading to university is exciting. Finding the right place to live will get you off to a good start.

Support and wellbeing 2022 teaser.jpg

Whether you need support with your health or practical advice on budgeting or finding part-time work, we can help.

Founders, clock tower, sky, ornate

Discover more about our academic departments and schools.

REF_2021.png

Find out why Royal Holloway is in the top 25% of UK universities for research rated ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’.

Immersive Technology

Royal Holloway is a research intensive university and our academics collaborate across disciplines to achieve excellence.

volunteering 10th tenth Anniversary Sculpture - research.jpg

Discover world-class research at Royal Holloway.

First years Emily Wilding Davison Building front view

Discover more about who we are today, and our vision for the future.

RHC PH.100.1.3 Founders south east 1886.w

Royal Holloway began as two pioneering colleges for the education of women in the 19th century, and their spirit lives on today.

Notable alumni Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay

We’ve played a role in thousands of careers, some of them particularly remarkable.

Governance

Find about our decision-making processes and the people who lead and manage Royal Holloway today.