King's College London
Founded 1829; founding college of University of London.
King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university in London, England, established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. It was founded as a Tory response to the secular University College London, reaffirming Anglican educational values, and became one of the two founding colleges of the University of London in 1836. King's is one of the oldest university-level institutions in England and is generally regarded as part of the 'golden triangle' of universities in and about Oxford, Cambridge, and London.
Quick Facts
- Latin Name
- Collegium Regale Londinense en · or Collegium Regium apud Londinenses
- Motto
- la · Sancte et Sapienter
- Motto Eng
- With Holiness and Wisdom
- Established
- 1829-08-14 / (University status 2023; earliest recorded teaching in medical school 1561)
- Endowment
- £340.8 million (2025)
- Budget
- £1.377 billion (2024/25)
- Head Label
- Vice-Chancellor and President
- Head
- Shitij Kapur
- Chair
- Lord Stevens
- Chancellor
- Anne, Princess Royal / (as Chancellor of the University of London)
- Free Label
- Patron
- Free
- Charles III
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
King's College London was founded in 1829 in response to the theological controversy surrounding the founding of London University (later University College, London) in 1826, which was secular and admitted non-Anglicans. The creation of King's represented a Tory effort to reaffirm the educational values of the established order, with the Archbishop of Canterbury as its visitor and the monarch as patron. The founding was marked by a duel on 21 March 1829 between the Duke of Wellington and the Earl of Winchilsea, who accused Wellington of 'insidious designs' regarding Catholic emancipation; Wellington demanded satisfaction, and after Winchilsea did not fire, honour was saved and an apology written. 'Duel Day' is commemorated annually.
Reader's Guide
King's College London grew significantly in the late 20th century through mergers, including with Queen Elizabeth College and Chelsea College of Science and Technology in 1985, the Institute of Psychiatry in 1997, and the United Medical and Dental Schools of Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals in 1998. It operates across five main campuses, including the historic Strand Campus, and is the sixth-largest university in the UK by total enrolment. King's is home to the Medical Research Council's MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders and is a founding member of King's Health Partners, the Francis Crick Institute, and MedCity. It has the largest European centre for graduate and postgraduate medical teaching and biomedical research, including the world's first nursing school. Alumni and staff include 14 Nobel laureates, heads of state, and 21 current members of the House of Commons.
Did You Know?
- The founding of King's led to a duel in Battersea Fields on 21 March 1829 between the Duke of Wellington and the Earl of Winchilsea.
- King's has one of the largest endowments in London, though Imperial College London's is larger, and it is not among the top four nationally.
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