Patrons

Richard, the 10th Duke of Buccleuch and 12th Duke of Queensberry, is a distant kinsman of Sir Walter Scott and his forebear, the 4th Duke, was Scott’s close personal friend and supporter.  

The Duke has family homes in Drumlanrig in Dumfriesshire, and at Bowhill near Selkirk, a short distance from Sir Walter’s home Abbotsford. Married with four children and several grandchildren, he is involved in management of the historic family estate businesses, heritage properties and art collections. He was made a KBE in 2000 and has held many notable public appointments. For ten years he was President of the National Trust for Scotland.

His wife Elizabeth, the Duchess of Buccleuch and Queensberry, was co-founder and co-patron of the Prize and a Judge since its inception.   The Duke and Duchess’ vision for a book prize to honour the achievements of Sir Walter Scott was realised with Alistair Moffat in 2009.  In 2015 the Duchess set up the Young Walter Scott Prize, awarding young writers of historical fiction with a travel grant and bringing them into the Walter Scott Prize network.

The Prizes were deeply saddened to announce the death of Duchess Bizza in April 2023. Her legacy includes the support and encouragement of countless writers, both new and established, which she provided through her custodianship of the Prizes.

In 2024 the Walter Scott Prize came under the management of The Abbotsford Trust, the independent Scottish Charity responsible for Sir Walter Scott’s extraordinary Borders home, with support from Hawthornden Foundation and the Buccleuch Living Heritage Trust.