Exciting Speaker Announced! Invitation to KCLA Annual Dinner and Duel Day Reenactment 20th March 2026

Event Date: 20 March 2026 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm

Event Venue: Vintners Hall, 68 Upper Thames Street, London, EC4V 3BG

Tagged:

2026
Annual Event

I’m delighted to invite you to our Annual Dinner and Duel Day Reenactment. We’re honoured that our guest speaker will be Alderman Tim Hailes FKC, JP, who will be the next Lord Mayor of London from November 2026. See below.

King’s College London Alumni Association (KCLA) Annual Dinner and Duel Day Celebration 2026

It is with great pleasure, on behalf of our President, Dr. Diana Garnham and KCLA Council, that we invite you to join us and King’s College London’s Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Shitij Kapur, at our Annual Dinner and Duel Day Celebration.

Friday, 20 March 2026
Vintners’ Hall, EC4V 3BG

Timings:

Tour of Vintners’ Hall (pre-book only): 18.00
Reception and Duel Day Reenactment: 18.30-19.15
Dinner: 19.15
Carriages: 22.00
Dress code: Black Tie

Tickets: £127 to include all drinks
A limited number of concessionary tickets are available for guests under 30 years of age: £97

The evening will begin with an optional tour of the hall, recounting its amazing history and you will be shown some beautiful, historical artefacts, including the carvings in the hall and Court Room and a fine staircase. This will be followed by the Reception and Duel Day Celebration.

There will be an after dinner speech from our guest, Alderman Tim Hailes FKC, JP, who is a distinguished legal and financial services professional with over three decades of experience in The City of London. A graduate of King’s College London, Tim holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History. He was also made a Fellow reflecting his ongoing contributions to the academic and professional community. He has been supported by the Court of Alderman to serve as the 698th Lord Mayor of London from November 2026 and to succeed our Lady Mayor, Dame Susan Langley.

We have kept the ticket price as low as possible in these difficult times of rising costs, but an increase has been unavoidable even with some financial support for the event drawn from KCLA funds. I’m pleased we’ve been able to increase the cost by just £2.

About the Venue

This is the fifth year we have held our Annual Dinner at Vintners’ Hall, which has an amazing history and houses some beautiful, historical artefacts, including carvings in the hall and Court Room and a fine staircase. The original hall burnt down in the Great Fire of London and was rebuilt and in use by 1671. A pre-dinner tour is available for a limited number of people – tickets can be booked on the dinner booking form.

About the Duel Day Celebration

The duel fought on 21 March 1829 on Battersea Fields between the Duke of Wellington and the Earl of Winchelsea, which secured the right of King’s to offer education to all, will be reenacted as it is internationally when alumni meet to celebrate King’s foundation. Volunteer actors are needed to take part in the Duel Day reenactment. If you would like to take part, please email
suesearle@kcla.online.

Volunteer with KCLA

KCLA welcomes all volunteers to help in any capacity, and currently we are seeking a Membership Officer. We’re always happy to have more volunteers help with events which we’re expanding. We need more volunteers with WordPress experience to help our Web Assistant source and add content to our website on a regular basis. Those wishing to become more fully engaged and shape the Association’s activities with clubs, sport, and societies, may, in addition, become registered members and vote at elections.

Please email suesearle@kcla.online or president@kcla.online for more information or scan the QR code below or follow the link: