On June 1st, Michael Palin will be named as the new president of the Royal Geographical Society (RGS). The former Monty Python star has been travelling the world for more than three decades and says that his love of geography stems from school field-trips as a boy in Sheffield. He may therefore use his new position to promote geography in schools, previously arguing that the subject should be made “relevant, lively, stimulating, adventurous and…fun.”

Palin in Trento, Italy in 2005. Picture courtesy of Wikipedia

Although there is no word on Palins official website, he was reported as describing the position as a “great honour” in the London Evening Standard. The announcement has also gone down very well with his large fan-base, and may have gone part-way in relieving some of the disappointment of the failed ‘Michael Palin for President’ campaign.

However, Palin is taking over from current president, Professor Sir Gordon Conway, in a period of turmoil for the RGS. In March, 78 of its fellows filed a resolution which led to a Special General Meeting on the 18th May. These members, which included high-profile explorers such as Sir Ranulph Fiennes (but not Palin), were arguing for the inclusion of “high-profile, self-funded projects organized by the Society alongside its existing range of endeavours”. However, all living former presidents of the Society were against the motion, and there are worries that funds to enable multiple projects like the Maraca Rainforest Project simply don’t exist.

The final vote was won by the ‘old-guard’ of the Society, with just over 60% of members voting against the resolution. The RGS said that trustees thought the resolution would “jeopardise the current high profile and strong brand of the Society with many Stakeholders and members.” However, with a major policy review planned for later this year, and under the new presidency, watch this space for change.