All praise to John North, who was awarded his doctorate from Queen Mary, University of London on Tuesday – at the age of 93.

From a Jewish family in Bohemia, he arrived here as Jan Neuberg in 1938. He began studying in his 60s and collected first a diploma in archaeology and then a master's in classical civilisation.

Believed to be Britain's oldest student, he earned his PhD for a thesis on German philosophy of art. Now he plans further research, although he says; "I will not use the title Doctor - at my age it would not be sensible."