Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Hampshire, Nigel Atkinson, was the guest of honour at Alton School’s annual prizegiving ceremony.

At a packed event celebrating the outstanding A-Level results of last summer’s Sixth Form leavers, as well as the achievements of pupils across the Senior School, the Lord-Lieutenant gave a riveting address about his career to date and his current role. As the Queen’s personal representative in the county, he has an incredibly varied daily life which has included nominating individuals to be invited to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding.

With his magnificent uniform and sword adding a certain ‘pizzazz’ to the proceedings, Mr Atkinson talked about the importance of taking advantage of the opportunities life presents, as well as the ability to succeed with or without a university degree.

This resonated particularly well with the audience as, according to Headmaster, Graham Maher, "Alton School places great value on helping its students maximise their full potential whatever their interests and aspirations”.