Prince Andrew visits Alice Smith School
KUALA LUMPUR: A wave of excitement swept through The Alice Smith School here yesterday, as Prince Andrew, the Duke of York dropped by for a visit.
He arrived about 11.10am and was taken on a tour of the school, acompanied by Deputy British High Commissioner Paul Rennie and head of school Roger Schultz.
During the hour-long tour, Prince Andrew unveiled a plaque to mark the opening of the school’s Jubilee Centre, visited classes and addressed the school assembly.
In his address, the prince encouraged students to take full advantage of the the opportunity to study in one of the most prestigious schools in the country.
“All of you here today, will be the shaper of the future...that’s why you should be ambitious, who knows you may well be the leaders of the future,” he said.
Established since 1946 in Malaysia, The Alice Smith School is one of the oldest British internationals in Asia.
Prince Andrew congratulated the school over its 70th anniversary this year and hoped that it would continue to be among the top educational institutions in the country.
The visit to the school was part of Prince Andrew’s five-day visit to Malaysia.
On Sunday, he attended the 32nd Royal Commonwealth Ex-Service League (RCEL) Conference remembrance service at the National Monument here.
RCEL organises a conference for delegates from member organisations every four years and this year, Malaysia is hosting the 32nd conference, from June 26 to 29.
Also on the prince’s itinerary are a series of engagements organised by the British High Commission to further promote British-Malaysian links in the fields of education and skills, entrepreneurship, science and innovation, technology and engineering.
Later, Prince Andrew attended an engagement with the science and research community involved in the Newton-Ungku Omar Fund at the Petrosains Centre in the Petronas Twin Towers.
The fund is a collaborative effort between the British and Malaysian governments to promote science, technology and innovation collaboration between the two countries.
British High Commissioner Vicki Treadell said since its establishment in 2014, the fund had been progressing rapidly, with a number of research and innovation activities having been launched in Malaysia.
Prince Andrew also toured a showcase by Petrosains and the funding partners of the NewtonUngku Omar Fund.
He presented prizes to winners of the Dengue Tech Challenge 2016, an initiative aimed at supporting proposals for collaborative projects involving experts from Malaysia and the United Kingdom to focus on commercialisation of denguerelated research and products in Malaysia. - Bernama