New member afternoon ceremony - 29 April 2025
The RCP looks forward to welcoming you and your guests to the new members admissions ceremony to celebrate the passing of your MRCP exam. There will be refreshments on arrival, heritage and garden tours, and a celebratory reception afterwards.
This ceremony will take place at the Royal College of Physicians, 11 St Andrews Place, Regent's Park, London NW1 4LE.
Booking
We advise that you book early to avoid disappointment. Check out our FAQs tab for any questions you may have regarding the booking process.
10.30am
Registration opens
- Registration opens and welcome drinks served.
- Gowning opens.
- Photography opens.
11.00am
Crèche opens
- If you wish to book your child into the crèche you must book in advance as places are limited.
- To find out more information please visit the optional extras tab.
12.00am
Gong chimes
- New members should proceed to the library when they hear the gong.
- One guest per member to take their seat in the library gallery.
- All other guests make their way to the Live stream in our Wolfson lecture theatre.
12.30am
Ceremony begins
- The senior officer's procession enters the library, and the ceremony begins.
1.30pm
Celebratory reception
- A celebratory reception will follow the ceremony.
· New member ceremony and reception - Free
- Ceremony and reception - 1 adult guests - £26
- Ceremony and reception - 2 adult guests - £52
- Ceremony and reception - 3 adult guests - £78
- Ceremony and reception - 4 adult guest - £104
· Ceremony and reception (1-12 years old) - £0
- New members will be asked to take their seats in the Dorchester Library promptly at 12.00pm following the sounding of the gong.
- It is important you sit in the correct seat as you will be called up to the stage in alphabetical order by surname.
- You will be given a briefing at 12.15pm before the ceremony begins.
- The ceremony will begin at 12.30pm and we ask that all members are punctual as it is difficult to admit anyone once proceedings have commenced.
- Only one adult guest per new member will be permitted to watch the ceremony from the Dorchester Library gallery.
- A link will also be made in the week prior to the ceremony so that family and friends can watch from home.
- Following the ceremony, we will host a celebratory reception.
- New members can attend the reception for free, please select the ticket option New member – attending ceremony + reception
- All guest tickets include attendance to the celebratory reception, tickets must be pre-booked and paid for in advanced.
- A guest ticket to the reception costs £26 per guest aged 12 and over.
- Children under 12 are welcome at the reception and are free of charge.
- Please advise us of any dietary requirements in advance so that these can be accommodated.
- All members are invited to bring a maximum of 4 guests to watch the ceremony.
- All new members and guests must be pre-registered, we cannot accommodate any additional guests on the day.
- Children are welcome and those over 1 are included in your guest count.
- We do have crèche facilities available at this ceremony, however places are limited.
- One guest per new member will be able to watch the ceremony from the balcony of the Dorchester Library. Due to health and safety children are not permitted to view the ceremony from the balcony. For new members bringing one adult guest and one child they will both need to view the ceremony from one of our lecture theatres.
- All other guests will be invited to watch the ceremony via live stream into one of our lecture theatres.
For the purpose of the ceremony, we will be issuing sample certificates. If you have not received your official certificate already, they are being issued out by our examinations team via post. To receive an update on the status of your certificate please contact the team on diplomas.queries@mrcpuk.org or you can also contact the college directly using the following phone number +44 (0)20 3075 1550.
If you require further support for your visa application to attend our ceremony, we provide a headed confirmation letter of your booking once it is fully complete. If this has not been received after booking, please contact ceremonies.queries@rcp.ac.uk where a member of our team will be able to re-issue this for you.
- We are pleased to offer a crèche facility at this new member ceremony, it will be open from 11.00am – 2.00pm.
- The crèche is run by experienced staff from Pop up, Party and Play who will care for and entertain your children.
- The crèche can offer limited places to children between the ages of 3 months and 12 years.
- If you wish to book your child into the crèche you must book in advance as places are limited.
- There is a £30 charge per child which must be paid in advance
- Children placed in the crèche who are over 1 years are included in your 4 guest tickets.
- Please add your child’s name and age in the access requirements box during the booking process.
- Tempest will be providing the photography services for the ceremony.
- The photography studio will be in the Council Chamber from 10.30am.
- If you choose to have photographs taken you need to attend within the pre-stated times, there is no need to book in advance.
- It will not be possible to be photographed with your actual certificate before the ceremony, but you will be presented with a certificate case to be held for any photographs (this case will be cleaned between use).
- Tempest will take a photograph of each new member receiving their certificate from the president.
- Payment for photography must be paid at the time and the contractual agreement is between yourself and Tempest
- For more information or any queries relating to photography please contact Tempest Graduation on 01736 751 855.
- Tempest will be present to facilitate gown hire for the ceremony.
- You will be able to collect your gown in the Linacre Room from 10.30am.
- Members will be able to hire gowns to be worn during the ceremony or for the official photography, however it is not compulsory.
- Gown hire costs £45 and can be ordered and paid for on the day, pre-ordering is not required but will be available on the Tempest website 1 week before the ceremony. You will need to provide your RCP code in order to pre-book a gown.
- Gowns will need to be returned to the Linacre room ahead of leaving the premises.
- Payment for gown hire must be paid at the time and the contractual agreement is between yourself and Tempest.
- For more information or any queries relating to gowning please contact Tempest Graduation by email info@graduategowning.co.uk or by phone 01736 751 855.
- We will be offering new members and their guests the opportunity to be taken on tours of our garden, guided by our garden fellows.
- Pre-booking is not required.
- We will be offering members and their guests the opportunity to be taken on a heritage tour, guided by the Archive and Museum Services team.
- Tour times will be confirmed prior to the ceremony.
- Pre-booking is not required, please arrive 5 minutes before the time you wish to attend to join in on the tour.
Frequently asked questions
There is a maximum of 4 guests per new member.
Please email ceremonies.queries@rcp.ac.uk and include the name of the guest you would like to bring along with any dietary requirements if applicable. Can you please also let us know if any of the extra guests are children so that we can add the correct ticket rates onto the booking.
As soon as we have received the above, we can update your booking and get a payment link sent to you.
The cost for an adult guest ticket is £26.
Unfortunately, we are unable to exceed 4 guests per new member at our ceremonies. This is due to capacity and safety issues but also to ensure fairness among our members. All ceremonies will be available via live stream so friends and family can watch live at home.
Please email ceremonies.queries@rcp.ac.uk to let us know which guest you would like to change and the new guests name along with any dietary requirements if applicable. we can update your booking and send a new confirmation email across to you.
If the new guest is a child, please let us know and provide their age. Please note children under the age of 12 are not permitted in the ceremony room, if you are bringing one adult guest and one child they will both need to view the ceremony via live stream from one of our lecture theatres.
If you would like to cancel your booking, please review our cancellation policy below and then email us at ceremonies.queries@rcp.ac.uk to let us know how you wish to proceed.
Your booking including for guests, is a contract. If payment has not been received within 21 days of the event, the RCP reserves the right to cancel your booking.
Cancellations and requests to amend your confirmed booking must be made in writing to ceremonies.queries@rcp.ac.uk. Where fees have been paid, the following cancellation charges will apply:
- No refunds will be issued for any tickets that cost £15 or less
- A full refund will be issued where you cancel within 7 days of completing your booking (providing your event is more than 21 days away).
- A full refund, minus an administration fee of £15, will be issued if you cancel after 8 days of completing your booking but more than 21 days before the event.
- No refunds will be issued within 21 days of the event date.
Within 21 days of the event date, the following option is available:
- Transfer your ticket to another ceremony date. If you wish to transfer to a waiting list for another ceremony, your place will be refunded, minus an administration fee of £15.
Within 7 working days of the event – no refunds or amends can be made to bookings.
The RCP reserves the right to change the programme and/or speakers at any time and without prior notice. It also reserves the right in its absolute discretion to cancel the event, in which case a full refund will be issued for your booking.
The RCP is not responsible for refunding the cost of pre-booked travel or accommodation and would recommend taking out suitable insurance to include the impact from strike action.
Updated: 31 July 2024
The closest hotel is Melia White House Hotel which is about a 5-10minute walk to the college.
More information on the hotel can be found here: https://www.melia.com/en/hotels/united-kingdom/london/melia-white-house
There is also a Travelodge beside Euston station which is around a 20-25 minute walk to the college.
More information on the hotel can be found here:
If the ceremony you would like to attend is fully booked you can join the waitlist and if we receive a cancellation and a space becomes available, we will get in touch with those who are listed on the waitlist to offer a spot.
Alternatively, we can add you to register of interest list for the 2026 ceremonies, should you be on the register of interest list, you will receive notification of these opening ahead of time. Please fill in this form to be on the list.
If you are unable to attend a ceremony in 2025 you can add your details to our register of interest list for 2026 ceremonies. Please fill in this form, 2026 New member register of interest.
Please email your RCP number to ceremonies.queries@rcp.ac.uk and we will issue a confirmation letter to you.
Regarding the gown hire, they are supplied by Tempest. The cost to hire a gown is £45, and we advise you book in advance via the Tempest website. Bookings will be opened 1–2 weeks before the ceremony. You will need to provide your RCP code in order for the team to find your record. We would also like to remind you that while most of the diplomates do opt in, gowns are not compulsory.
There is no formal dress code for our ceremony. New members have the option to hire a gown on the day through Tempest. While most diplomates choose to wear gowns, it is not mandatory; you may also wear traditional dress or black tie if you prefer. We recommend that guests dress in smart/business wear.
We do not take bookings for tours so you will be able to just turn up to any tour you wish on the day. We will confirm which tours are available ahead of time.
The ceremony will be recorded and made available online. Before the ceremony, we will send an email to all delegates containing a link, which can be shared with family and friends to watch a live stream of the event.
After the ceremony, we will send another email to all delegates with a link to watch the recorded version.
The photos including individual portraits and photo with the RCP President were all taken by Tempest. You should be able to purchase any photos that weren’t paid for on the day via their website you may need to use your RCP code as the reference number on the site. If you wish to speak with Tempest directly you can call them on 01736 751555 or place an enquiry via their website.
The group photo in the ceremony hall with all new members will be sent to you in a post ceremony email.
Useful contact information
- Tempest (photography and gowning) - 01736 751 855.
- General ceremony queries - ceremonies.queries@rcp.ac.uk.
Date
29 April 2025
Location
RCP London, Royal College of Physicians, 11 St Andrews Place, Regent's Park, London, NW1 4LE
29 April 2025
RCP London