AUNG San Suu Kyi has waited 24 years to return to her beloved Oxford.

During that time momentous events have occurred, both in her private life and the country she is inextricably linked with.

She left here a family woman – travelling to her homeland to care for her sick mother. But being the daughter of national hero Aung San, she became a focus of the campaign for democracy in Burma and the overthrow of its brutal military regime.

Years of house arrest followed but her supporters — including those here in her adopted home — kept her name and cause alive to the rest of the world.

Amidst the greetings and meetings, yesterday and today will be an immensely personal visit for Ms Suu Kyi, moments when those 24 years melts away in a swirl of memories.

But it will also be deeply personal and moving for those supporters in Oxford to glimpse The Lady, as she is known, and see the power and reality of their campaigning and their belief.