Read Sir Paul Nurse's Anniversary Address (PDF).
The Royal Society was founded on 28 November 1660 when the very first ‘learned society’ meeting was held following a lecture by Christopher Wren. In 1662, King Charles II granted the first Royal Charter, setting the date of Anniversary Day on the Feast of St Andrew’s, 30 November. It was in this year that the Royal Society officially swore in its first President, Viscount Brouncker ‘to hold till St Andrew’s Day next’.
The meeting includes the President, Sir Paul Nurse's, address to the Fellowship. This year Sir Paul stepped down as President and was succeeded by Sir Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, who has taken up the post of President for the next five years.