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The King Charles Club (KCC) is a dining society of St John's College, Oxford students.
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History
In 1646, St John's College, which sympathised with the Royalists, acted as Prince Rupert of the Rhine's headquarters for his defence of the city of Oxford, and King Charles I, present in Oxford at the time, is believed to have taken refuge with his nephew at the college for a period of time. A possibly apocryphal story relating to these times is that the King treated Prince Rupert and 11 of his closest lieutenants to an especially opulent meal and so the Club was born.
Present day
The society is still active in present times, despite being banned from college grounds. "Invitation-only" by nature, the King Charles Club selects only from members of St John's College. The club still follows its centuries old traditions, including the laying of the wreath at Whitehall on the anniversary of the king and martyr's execution. The dinner traditionally celebrated after this event has in recent years been held at Stringfellows, Covent Garden.[1] Peter Stringfellow is the honorary president.
The Conservative politician Aidan Burley was president of the club during his time at St Johns. Canadian Nobel Prize–winning politician Lester Pearson was also a member.