★ Behind the scenes at the unveiling of the Royal Albert Hall Stars ★
On Tuesday 4 September 2018, one of our big projects was finally unveiled: the Royal Albert Hall Stars ★.
The Stars are located under the canopy all around the building, and they each feature an engraved stone topped off with a brass star. They are dedicated to key players in the building’s history, from its opening in 1871 to the present day.
This project has been three years in the making, so you can imagine our excitement when the day finally came when we could share it with all of you.
In the words of our CEO:
“We’re thrilled to be able to unveil the first 11 Royal Albert Hall Stars, recognising the unrivalled place that the venue holds in Britain’s social and cultural life – and the people and groups who have made it that way.” Craig Hassall, Chief Executive of the Royal Albert Hall
We’ve even made a “behind the scenes” video for you:
Many of us here at the Hall were involved in this incredible project, but our archivist needs a special mention. She knows our history like the back of her hand, and thanks to her work, we are able to showcase the incredible diversity in our history. It’s that diversity that makes us who we are: a great British institution and the world’s busiest venue.
It’s also what allows us to have great little anecdotes to share with you, like these ones:
Boxing, Bottoms, Pop Music and Elephants: Banned at the Royal Albert Hall
Speaking of things we banned, one of our special guests yesterday was Roger Daltrey. Honoured for his work as honorary patron of the Teenage Cancer Trust, the lead singer of the Who received yet another official apology from us for not allowing the band to play years ago (it did take us 30 years to apologise in the first place).
Apparently we banned the wrong band as well… Watch below:
And here’s Roger collecting his (very) well-deserved #RAH150 ⭐️! pic.twitter.com/N6uWSvgGbA
— Teenage Cancer Trust (@TeenageCancer) September 4, 2018
Also honoured (and also banned a couple of times…) were the Chelsea Arts Club Balls:
What a morning accepting a star for
— eve ferret (@eveferret) September 4, 2018chelseaartsclub</a> for all the Artists and Party Revellers from the past and yet to come 'The Chelsea Arts Club Balls' <a href="https://twitter.com/RoyalAlbertHall?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">RoyalAlbertHall #RAH150 with Geoffrey Matthews,Ginger Gibbons,Donald Smith #artistsontwitter #EricClapton #RogerDaltry #party https://t.co/xGJYEEm3lq
Eric Clapton, the man who played at the Hall the most (over 200 times!!), also attended the event, alongside BBC Proms’ Katie Derham, Sir Winston Churchill’s great grandson Randolph, and Catherine Mayer, co-founder of the Women’s Equality Party, who accepted the Star on behalf of the Suffragettes.
It was our pleasure to honour one of the greatest minds of all time, Albert Einstein, who spoke at the Hall in 1933, four days before leaving Europe, never to return.
Muhammad Ali’s widow couldn’t make it to the launch, but we read a letter we received from her that made everyone at the event really emotional. Here’s an excerpt from it:
“Muhammad would have been so proud. He loved England and the English people. He especially loved the city of London. On behalf of myself and the Ali family, please accept our humble thanks and appreciation.” Lonnie Ali
Last but not least, Adele sent us a little something as well. Her email read:
“The Royal Albert Hall holds a very special place in my heart not only because of my own show there, but also because it’s my favourite venue in the world and I’ve seen some really special performances there. To be recognised by such an iconic landmark amongst a list of people, some of whom changed the world is a bit overwhelming to be honest, but I’m immensely proud and grateful.” Adele
For the full Stars list, head here:
Royal Albert Hall Stars