King’s Ely students are appointed as new King’s and Queen’s Scholars

Fourteen new King’s and Queen’s Scholars, who are all Year 12 students at King’s Ely, have been installed in Ely Cathedral.

The Admission of Scholars’ Service on November 23rd saw all of King’s Ely Senior and the Scholars’ proud families coming together in the glorious setting of the cathedral. The Scholars received their distinctive red gowns, the colour traditionally associated with royalty, and the service featured hymns, readings and prayers.

King’s Scholars (boys) were inaugurated by Henry VIII in 1541 and Queen’s Scholars (girls) at the request of Queen Elizabeth II in 1973. There is no application process for these honorary Scholarships, the positions instead being awarded according to students' GCSE results.

Scholars become members of the Cathedral Foundation, strengthening the special link between King’s Ely and the cathedral, and they also qualify for other privileges and appointments throughout the year.

This year’s King’s and Queen’s Scholars are Ben Garrett, Victoria Davis, Anna Chaudhry, Daniel Grapes, Charlotte Ebbens, Lily Buckley, Tom Henderson, Lucy Lott, Pimploy Mahikote, India Thomas, Arthur Plews, Charlotte Wilkinson, Solomon Boon and Molly Van Poortvliet.

Three International Scholars have also been appointed this year – Ilaria Dimina, Joe Lau and William Wu.

The Admission of Scholars’ Service was followed by Evensong and the evening ended with a splendid ‘Visitors’ Feast’ when King’s Ely staff, governors and families came together in the school’s Monastic Barn to celebrate the achievements of the newly appointed Scholars.

The principal of King’s Ely, Sue Freestone, said: ‘It is a feature of the school that we recognise achievement of every kind, according to the lights of each individual. In my final year as principal of King’s Ely, I cherish the moment when we come together to honour high academic achievement in this time-honoured way.’

To discover more about opportunities at King’s Ely, please visit: www.kingsely.org.