THE University of Bolton has announced that the Earl of St Andrews, George Windsor, will be its next Chancellor.

Lord St Andrews, the elder son of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Katharine, Duchess of Kent, will succeed current Chancellor, Lord Justice Ryder, in the university’s highest office from January 2017.

A special installation ceremony will take place early in the New Year to celebrate the historic appointment.

Vice Chancellor, Professor George Holmes, said the university is delighted that the Earl has accepted the role — especially given his strong commitment to inclusivity and to the mission of the university.

He said: "Bolton is a very special university, and the Earl will add a tremendous amount to our community both as a scholar himself, but moreover because of his passion for higher education.

“The Earl's interest in cultural diversity and building bridges between civilisations is mirrored within the university and in particular represented by our Centre for Islamic Finance.

“The centre's exceptional lecture series has in itself given testament to the sharing of ideas across cultures.”

He added: “The Earl has been associated with the university through the Centre for Islamic Finance for some time now, and his impact has been greatly valued."

Lord St Andrews was educated at Eton College and then Downing College, Cambridge, where he read history.

After a period in HM Diplomatic Service during which he served in New York (at the UK Mission to the UN) and Budapest, he worked for a number of years in the antiquarian book business, including at Christies UK.

More recently he has been chairman of an internet-based world history project, the Golden Web.

He is patron, chairman or trustee of a number of organisations, including the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation, SOS Children's Villages UK, the Association for International Cancer Research — now Worldwide Cancer Research, the Princess Margarita of Romania Foundation, the Welsh Sinfonia, the Next Century Foundation, the Mongolia and Inner Asia Studies Unit, University of Cambridge, and the Global eHealth Foundation.

Sir Ernest Ryder will step down from his role on December 31 after serving for three years. He succeeded the university’s first Chancellor, The Baroness Morris of Bolton.

He said: “The appointment of the Earl of St Andrews as Chancellor of the University is an event of great importance in our history and a matter of significant pride and personal pleasure to us.

"As a Boltonian it has been my great privilege to serve the university at a time of momentous developments.

"It is appropriate that a university with an important future and a vital profile in the North West of England will have such a strong ambassador.”