The Kings's Scholarships (formerly Queen's Scholarships} are forty-eight scholarships (eight per year until Sixth Form, then twelve per year) at

Westminster School (God Gives the Increase) , established = Earliest records date from the 14th century, refounded in 1560 , type = Public school Independent day and boarding school , religion = Church of England , head_label = Hea ...

, (re)founded in 1560 by

Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". El ...

. The scholars take part in the

coronation A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the presentation of ot ...

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the Unite ...

, acclaiming the new monarch by shouting "Vivat". They also have the right to observe Parliament.Walter Thornbury, "Westminster School", in Old and New London: Volume 3 (London, 1878), pp. 462–483. ''British History Online''
/ref> They have the abbreviation KS (formerly QS) on school lists; their house is "College". Twelve- and thirteen-year-old boys annually compete for eight of the annual scholarships in a competitive entrance examination known as the Challenge. Fifteen- and sixteen-year-old girls compete for the other four scholarships, which are awarded to the top four students in subject-specific Sixth Form entrance exams. For 400 years the best of the scholars were elected to closed scholarships at Christ Church, Oxford, and

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...

; since the 1970s, Westminster School boys and girls must win open Oxbridge scholarships by public examination. Prior to 2017, only 40 scholarships were available, and all were awarded to boys sitting the Challenge. The four Sixth Form girls' scholarships were launched in 2017. During the reign of a king, the Queen's Scholars become King's Scholars, in contrast to the earlier

King's Scholar A King's Scholar is a foundation scholar (elected on the basis of good academic performance and usually qualifying for reduced fees) of one of certain public schools. These include Eton College; The King's School, Canterbury; The King's School ...

ships at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...

who retain that title in honour of their royal founder even when the current monarch is a queen.

Notable Queen's Scholars

* Richard Hakluyt (1553–1616), Elizabethan writer *

George Herbert George Herbert (3 April 1593 – 1 March 1633) was an English poet, orator, and priest of the Church of England. His poetry is associated with the writings of the metaphysical poets, and he is recognised as "one of the foremost British devoti ...

(1593–1633), poet and priest * William Cartwright (1611–1643), poet and dramatist *

Abraham Cowley Abraham Cowley (; 161828 July 1667) was an English poet and essayist born in the City of London late in 1618. He was one of the leading English poets of the 17th century, with 14 printings of his ''Works'' published between 1668 and 1721. Early ...

(1618–1667), poet *

John Dryden '' John Dryden (; – ) was an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who in 1668 was appointed England's first Poet Laureate. He is seen as dominating the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the per ...

(1631–1700), poet and playwright * John Locke (1632–1704), philosopher *

Robert South Robert South (4 September 1634 – 8 July 1716) was an English churchman who was known for his combative preaching and his Latin poetry. Early life He was the son of Robert South, a London merchant, and Elizabeth Berry. He was born at Hackney, ...

(1634–1716), priest and Latin poet * Robert Hooke (1635–1703), scientist and polymath *

Warren Hastings Warren Hastings (6 December 1732 – 22 August 1818) was a British colonial administrator, who served as the first Governor of the Presidency of Fort William (Bengal), the head of the Supreme Council of Bengal, and so the first Governor-General ...

(1732–1818), Governor of Calcutta *

George Cotton George Edward Lynch Cotton, Bishop of Calcutta (29 October 1813 – 6 October 1866) was an English educator and clergyman, known for his connections with British India and the public school system. Life in England He was born at Chester, a g ...

(1813–1866), headmaster and Bishop *

A. A. Milne Alan Alexander Milne (; 18 January 1882 – 31 January 1956) was an English writer best known for his books about the teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh, as well as for children's poetry. Milne was primarily a playwright before the huge success of Winni ...

(1882–1956), children's author *

John Spedan Lewis John Spedan Lewis (22 September 1885 – 21 February 1963) was an English businessman and the founder of the John Lewis Partnership. Elder son of John Lewis, who owned the John Lewis department store, London, Spedan joined the business at 19 and ...

(1885–1963), founder of the John Lewis Partnership *

Edgar Adrian, 1st Baron Adrian Edgar Douglas Adrian, 1st Baron Adrian (30 November 1889 – 4 August 1977) was an English electrophysiologist and recipient of the 1932 Nobel Prize for Physiology, won jointly with Sir Charles Sherrington for work on the function of neurons ...

(1889–1977), Nobel Prize-winning scientist *

Kim Philby Harold Adrian Russell "Kim" Philby (1 January 191211 May 1988) was a British intelligence officer and a double agent for the Soviet Union. In 1963 he was revealed to be a member of the Cambridge Five, a spy ring which had divulged British secr ...

(1912–1988), Russian spy *

Jonathan Ashmore Jonathan Felix Ashmore (born 1948) is a British physicist and Bernard Katz Professor of Biophysics at University College London. Early life and education He is the son of Rosalie Crutchley who played Madame Defarge in A Tale of Two Cities. As ...

(born 1948), physicist * Andrew Lloyd Webber (born 1948), composer *

Dominic Grieve Dominic Charles Roberts Grieve (born 24 May 1956) is a British barrister and former politician who served as Shadow Home Secretary from 2008 to 2009 and Attorney General for England and Wales from 2010 to 2014. He served as the Member of Parl ...

(born 1956), barrister and former MP *

Ian Bostridge Ian Charles Bostridge CBE (born 25 December 1964) is an English tenor, well known for his performances as an opera and lieder singer. Early life and education Bostridge was born in London, the son of Leslie Bostridge and Lillian (née Clark). ...

(born 1964), tenor *

Alastair Sooke Alastair Sooke (; born 1981) is an English art critic, journalist and broadcaster, most notable for reporting and commenting on art for the British media and writing and presenting documentaries on art and art history for BBC television and r ...

(born 1981), art critic

References

{{reflist Scholarships in the United Kingdom Westminster School