Earl of Wessex among freshers in university procession

Among 250 university freshers including the Earl of Wessex have marked the start of their studies with a procession through a town.

James, the 18-year-old son of the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, has begun a degree at the Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester.

He joined students wearing gowns as they walked in the procession through Cirencester's historic streets to a matriculation ceremony at St John Baptist Parish Church. The university is only one of four in the country observing the tradition.

Prof Peter McCaffery, vice chancellor at the university, called it a "rite of passage", adding: "On their way down they are going to meet new friends and possibly life-long relationships."

The Royal Agricultural University is one of four UK universities doing a freshers procession, the others are the universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Durham.

McCaffery added: "The idea of our procession is really to introduce our students to the campus, to the beautiful town of Cirencester and also to each other.

"It's a rite of passage. It's both an exciting and a daunting prospect."

Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, is the younger brother of King Charles III, making the earl the King's nephew.

McCaffery said the university found it could be "challenging" to join a university today, particularly with the "pressures of social media".

"We wanted them to get on their feet as soon as possible in their new environment," the professor said.

At the end of the procession, there was set to be a lunch and a chance for the students to get to know each other further, he added.

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