The president of the Royal Society (PRS), also known as the Royal Society of London, is the elected head of the Royal Society who presides over meetings of the society's council.

After an informal meeting (a lecture) by Christopher Wren at Gresham College, the Royal Society was officially founded on 28 November 1660 when a group of academics decided to found "a College for the Promoting of Mathematical Experimental Learning". King Charles II granted the society a Royal Charter on 15 July 1662, formally establishing it as the "Royal Society of London." The Royal Charter nominated William Brouncker as president and stipulated that future presidents should be elected by the Council and Fellows of the Society at anniversary meetings each year on St. Andrew's Day (30 November).

The details of the presidency were described by the second Royal Charter in 1663, which did not set any limit on how long a president could serve. There were considerable fluctuations in the president's term of office until well into the 19th century. By then, sentiment had turned against electing wealthy amateurs solely because they might become patrons of the society, and in 1847 the society decided that Fellows would be elected solely on scientific merit. Since the 1870s, it has been usual (with a few exceptions) for each President to serve for exactly five years. Under the current statutes, a president cannot serve for more than five years. The current President is Sir Paul Nurse who began his second 5-year tenure on 1 December 2025.

Historically, the duties of the president have been both formal and social. Under the Cruelty to Animals Act 1876, the President was one of only a few people authorized to certify that a particular experiment on an animal was justified, and in addition he acted as the government's chief (albeit informal) advisor for scientific matters. At the same time, the President was tasked with entertaining distinguished foreign guests and scientists.

The changeover of presidents occurs on the Royal Society Anniversary Day, the weekday on or nearest to 30 November, after the departing President's Anniversary Address. Of the 26 presidents since 1901, 18 have been Nobel laureates (seven in Physiology or Medicine, four in Physics and seven in Chemistry). Many past presidents, including all those in the 20th century, have been appointed to the Order of Merit.

Sir Joseph Banks was the longest serving president of Royal Society, serving from 1778 to 1820.

Presidents of the Royal Society + Term Portrait President Profession1 1662–1677 William Brouncker, 2nd Viscount Brouncker Mathematician2 1677–1680 Sir Joseph Williamson Civil servant and politician3 1680–1682 Sir Christopher Wren Architect, astronomer and physicist4 1682–1683 Sir John Hoskyns, 2nd Baronet Lawyer5 1683–1684 Cyril Wyche Lawyer, politician and administrator6 1684–1686 Samuel Pepys Civil servant and politician7 1686–1689 John Vaughan, 3rd Earl of Carbery Politician8 1689–1690 Thomas Herbert, 8th Earl of Pembroke Politician9 1690–1695 Sir Robert Southwell Diplomat10 1695–1698 Charles Montagu, 1st Earl of Halifax Poet and statesman11 1698–1703 John Somers, 1st Baron Somers Jurist and statesman12 1703–1727 Sir Isaac Newton Physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, and theologian13 1727–1741 Sir Hans Sloane, 1st Baronet Physician and collector14 1741–1752 Martin Folkes Antiquarian15 1752–1764 George Parker, 2nd Earl of Macclesfield Astronomer16 1764–1768 James Douglas, 14th Earl of Morton Astronomer 17 1768–1768 Sir James Burrow Legal reporter18 1768–1772 James West Politician and antiquarian19 1772–1772 Sir James Burrow Legal reporter20 1772–1778 Sir John Pringle, 1st Baronet Physician21 1778–1820 Sir Joseph Banks Naturalist and botanist22 1820–1820 William Hyde Wollaston Chemist23 1820–1827 Sir Humphry Davy, 1st Baronet Chemist and inventor24 1827–1830 Davies Gilbert Engineer, author and politician25 1830–1838 Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex Sixth son of George III of the United Kingdom26 1838–1848 Spencer Compton, 2nd Marquess of Northampton Nobleman27 1848–1854 William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse Astronomer28 1854–1858 John Wrottesley, 2nd Baron Wrottesley Astronomer29 1858–1861 Sir Benjamin Collins Brodie, 1st Baronet Physiologist and surgeon30 1861–1871 Sir Edward Sabine Astronomer, geophysicist, ornithologist and explorer31 1871–1873 Sir George Biddell Airy Mathematician and astronomer32 1873–1878 Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker Botanist and explorer33 1878–1883 William H. Spottiswoode Mathematician and physicist34 1883–1885 Thomas Henry Huxley Biologist35 1885–1890 Sir George Stokes, 1st Baronet Mathematician and physicist36 1890–1895 William Thomson, 1st Baron KelvinMathematical physicist37 1895–1900 Joseph Lister, 1st Baron Lister Surgeon38 1900–1905 Sir William Huggins Astronomer39 1905–1908 John William Strutt, 3rd Baron Rayleigh Physicist40 1908–1913 Sir Archibald Geikie Geologist and writer41 1913–1915 Sir William Crookes Chemist and physicist42 1915–1920 Sir Joseph John Thomson Physicist43 1920–1925 Sir Charles Scott Sherrington Neurophysiologist, histologist, bacteriologist, and pathologist44 1925–1930 Sir Ernest Rutherford (later 1st Baron Rutherford of Nelson) Physicist and chemist45 1930–1935 Sir Frederick Gowland Hopkins Biochemist46 1935–1940 Sir William Henry Bragg Physicist, chemist and mathematician47 1940–1945 Sir Henry Hallett Dale Pharmacologist and physiologist48 1945–1950 Sir Robert Robinson Organic chemist49 1950–1955 Edgar Adrian, 1st Baron Adrian Electrophysiologist50 1955–1960 Sir Cyril Norman Hinshelwood Physical chemist51 1960–1965 Howard Florey, Baron Florey Pharmacologist and pathologist52 1965–1970 Patrick Blackett (Baron Blackett after 1969) Physicist53 1970–1975 Sir Alan Lloyd Hodgkin Physiologist and Biophysicist54 1975–1980 Alexander R. Todd, Baron Todd Biochemist55 1980–1985 Sir Andrew Huxley Physiologist and biophysicist56 1985–1990 Sir George Porter (Baron Porter of Luddenham after 1990) Chemist57 1990–1995 Sir Michael Atiyah Mathematician58 1995–2000 Sir Aaron Klug Chemist and biophysicist59 2000–2005 Sir Robert May (Baron May of Oxford after 2001) Mathematical Biologist 60 2005–2010 Martin Rees, Baron Rees of Ludlow Cosmologist and astrophysicist61 2010–2015 Sir Paul Nurse Geneticist and cell biologist62 2015–2020 Venki Ramakrishnan Biophysicist 632020–2025Sir Adrian SmithStatistician642025–present Paul Nurse Geneticist and cell biologist

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