Princess Eugenie was initially rejected from Newcastle University before the admissions officer realised who she was, an academic has claimed.

Her application to read English literature was allegedly deemed “not good enough” by an admissions officer who did not know that the applicant was a member of the royal family.

But the university were “horrified” to find out that she had been rejected and promptly offered her a place for a different degree, according to Dr Martin Farr, a senior history lecturer at Newcastle University.

Speaking to an anti-monarchist campaign group Republic's annual convention in the city, he said: “We had at Newcastle University one of the Queen's granddaughters, Princess Eugenie.