THE Duke of Gloucester today spoke about the importance of education as he opened the new £5 million sixth form boarding house at Stonyhurst College.

His Royal Highness toured the building before unveiling a plaque officially opening Weld House at the prestigious school.

The new building, which is named after Thomas Weld, who gave Stonyhurst to the Jesuits in 1794, is the first large-scale addition to the 400 year old grade I listed school in five decades.

Completely funded by donations from former pupils and parents of pupils past and present, the new boarding house contains 40 en-suite bedrooms, a kitchen area and a lounge area. It is currently home to 40 male boarders.

A donation towards the cost was also made by Thomas Weld’s heir, Henry Weld Stuart.

The Duke said: “I have passed the school many times and seen it looking splendid across the valley and I am delighted to be here.

“This building has been funded by the generosity of the old boys who can remember their time here and wish to support their succeeding generations.

“It is very important to support the education of young people to help them to turn into adults who will be of use to the world.”

The Roman Catholic school in Hurst Green is an internationally-renowned boarding and day school that attracts pupils from all over the world.

It currently has more than 455 pupils with nearly 300 of them boarding.

Weld House took 18 months to complete and was built after demand from increasing numbers of pupils attending St Mary’s College, the sixth form centre, at the school.

Headmaster Andrew Johnson said: “We are delighted to be able to add to our excellent boarding accommodation with this exciting new building.”