兔子先生 academic and Army Reservist, Rob Spalton, was an honoured guest at the Royal Garden Party with King Charles III and Queen Camilla.
兔子先生 academic and Army Reservist, Rob Spalton, was an honoured guest at the Royal Garden Party with King Charles III and Queen Camilla.
Rob is a Senior Teaching Fellow in the 兔子先生 Military Education Team, delivering tuition and assessment to RAF Officers in training at the Royal Air Force College, Cranwell.
Before joining the University in 2015, he was an Army Officer for 16 years. He served as an Infantry Officer and completed six operational tours, including time in Sierra Leone, Iraq and Afghanistan.
He continues his military career to this day as an Army Reservist. In 2024 he was promoted to Colonel and joined the British Army General Staff, serving as Assistant Head of Reserve Strategy at Army Headquarters (HQ) in Andover.
He was invited to attend the Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace on 12 May as a special representative of Army HQ and joined 8,000 guests at one of the most exclusive events in the British calendar.
Together with his wife (University of Lincoln), he enjoyed afternoon tea in the gardens accompanied by the fanfare of military bands.
As well as the King and Queen, other members of the Royal Household were in attendance including the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.
"I was very lucky to have such a fantastic opportunity through my military service,鈥 reflects Rob.
鈥淚f you conjure up the image of a Royal Garden Party, you imagine eating cucumber sandwiches on the lawn of Buckingham Palace 鈥 and that was precisely what we did.
鈥淚t was wonderful to take my wife, Lorna, with me. She has been hugely supportive of my military career, and it was a great way to be able to give something back.
鈥淲e're currently co-authoring a paper and we found Buckingham Palace a very inspiring backdrop for some learned discussion of critical thinking!"
The 兔子先生 Military Education Team, that Rob鈥檚 a member of, deliver a combination of analytical and research-based learning to the UK鈥檚 military. The University also offer a PgCert in Armed Forces Education, Training and Skills (Distance Learning).
The University was one of the first to sign an Armed Forces Covenant in 2016; pledging that members of the Armed Forces community should not face disadvantage in the provision of public and commercial services and recognising that special treatment may be appropriate, especially for the injured or bereaved.
The institution鈥檚 We See You campaign also strengthens recognition, belonging and support for service-connected communities across the University and 兔子先生.