LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Elizabeth King of Georgetown is the 2025 Kentucky Derby Festival Queen.

What You Need To Know

  • Elizabeth King was crowned the 2025 Kentucky Derby Festival Queen during the Fillies Derby Ball on Saturday, March 22

  • The Royal Court comprises outstanding young women from around the state, who were selected from a pool of nearly 100 applicants

  • King was chosen to be queen by the spin of a wheel

  • The newly crowned Queen and the Court will reign through 2025 and attend nearly all events during the festival

King was crowned on Saturday, March 22, during the Fillies Derby Ball, as the Derby Festival Princesses excitedly waited for Fillies President Joanne Hurst to spin the wheel.

The Royal Court comprises outstanding young women from around the state. They were selected from a pool of nearly 100 applicants. The newly crowned Queen and the Court will reign through 2025 and attend nearly all events during the Festival.

“I am feeling just in shock still. I don’t think it’s truly, truly set in,” King said. “I am really grateful and excited for the Derby season ahead.”

Criteria for selection included knowledge of the Derby Festival, poise, intelligence, personality and campus/community involvement.

King is a senior presidential scholar at the University of Kentucky pursuing dual degrees in finance and flute performance. She is a Gatton College of Business ambassador, UK homecoming queen, principal flutist for the UK Wind Symphony and preliminary talent winner at Miss Kentucky.

As Miss Danville, King partnered with Junior Achievement of the Bluegrass to promote the service initiative she founded, Mind Your Money – Investing in Financial Literacy. The initiative aims to bring financial education to Kentucky’s classrooms.

Each woman in the royal court received two $1,000 scholarships and an official wardrobe.

Past Derby Festival Queens include Kentucky’s first woman governor, Martha Layne Collins; Gail Gorski, who is the first female pilot for United Airlines; and several other community leaders. Many said their Derby Festival experience helped them prepare for their careers.

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