Royal Visit
HRH Crown Prince Pavlos and HRH Prince Nikolaos visit Regent’s School Pattaya
On 11th June 2009 The Regent’s School Pattaya had the great honour of welcoming their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Pavlos and Prince Nikolaos, the sons of His Majesty King Constantine, former King of the Hellenes. HM King Constantine is the President of the Round Square organisation and has been involved with this student movement from its inception in the mid-1960s. The Round Square is now an organisation of more than 80 member schools located worldwide that follow the holistic philosophy of the late Kurt Hahn. In October 2010 The Regent’s School Pattaya will be hosting the International Round Square Conference and welcoming up to 1,000 delegates from around the world to our campus and community for two weeks. The theme of our conference will be ‘We Walk Together,’ which will focus on The Regent’s School’s strong commitment to the principles of service and working with the local community.
The Round Square appreciates the considerable workload entailed by the organisation of such an international conference and has been actively supporting the School in its efforts since we were awarded the 2010 host status. As part of this support HM King Constantine personally sent his two sons to Thailand to visit The Regent’s School in Pattaya and to meet with the student steering committee for 2010.
Dr. Virachai Techavijit, the Chairman of Regent’s, and the School Board were greatly honoured in hosting the two princes for the day and in showing them our plans for the 2010 conference. The day started with a formal welcome under the clock tower and a photograph session with the Board and our student leaders from both the Primary and Secondary Schools. These included the Head Students and the Prefects, who are also the school Pillar Leaders for the Round Square’s core values of Internationalism, Democracy, Environmental awareness, Adventure, Leadership and Service (‘IDEALS’). The princes were then escorted to the Board Room for refreshments and introductions. They were also presented with a photograph album showcasing The Regent’s School’s major service projects including the Laem Tong Community Centre project on Phi Phi Island, the Mae Hong Son hill tribe projects and the HIV / AIDS awareness campaign.
After these introductions the princes were taken on a tour of the school campus by seven of the School’s alumni and two students representing the Primary Student Guild. The tour finished at the Secondary School library, where the 2010 conference student steering committee was waiting to meet them. This committee was selected two months ago from 32 applications and interviews. 16 students eventually made up the steering committee and are now working on the organisation of the 2010 conference. They were very much looking forward to meeting Their Highnesses, to sharing their ideas with them and to soliciting their opinions and advice. The meeting, which lasted for over 45 minutes, was led by Amit Garg in Year 11, the steering committee’s Chair. Both Prince Pavlos and Prince Nikolaos expressed their approval of and support for the conference’s theme and also endorsed its logo (which has just been chosen in the wake of an all-school competition). Prince Nikolaos shared his personal experiences from earlier international conferences, and the steering committee students made extensive notes from important points he kindly made. The meeting ended just before luncheon and both Their Highnesses wished the committee every success and expressed the hope that they would both be present for the conference in October 2010.
After luncheon Their Highnesses met with the 12 current gap staff who have come from various Round Square Schools to undertake a gap placement, the three exchange students presently studying at The Regent’s School and the School’s representatives on the Kenya Round Square International Service Project last December.
The two princes then made one last visit to the Primary School to meet the Primary Pillar Leaders and Student Guild members. Each student respectfully stood up and made a very clear and informative speech about their Round Square role and experiences in front of the princes and went on to answer various questions. It was clear that everyone present formed a positive impression and that the Primary students were definitely candidates for stars of the day!
The final valediction and presentation of commemorative gifts took place back in the Board Room. Dr. Virachai and Mr. Mike Walton, the school Principal, thanked Their Highnesses for their visit and their interest in what we do at our School. Both princes expressed gratitude for such wonderful hospitality and for the opportunity to see how much The Regent’s School embraces the educational philosophy of the Round Square. They wished us every success for 2010 and expressed confidence that the conference would be a huge success. We were deeply appreciative of their good company and very much look forward to seeing them again next year.
As the final stage of this royal visit, Their Highnesses visited the Grand Regent Estate to inspect some potential accommodations for His Majesty King Constantine and Their Royal Highnesses themselves during the two-week Conference in October 2010. Dr. Virachai, his family members and their staff showed Their Highnesses some brand new houses and the surroundings of the exclusive complex which should be even more elegant, serene and private when other supporting facilities are completed between now and then.
HRH Crown Prince Pavlos and Prince Nikolaos completed their visit and left for Bangkok at 15.15, as scheduled.
