Which playing-card monarch conducts the trial near the end of the novel?

The King of Hearts conducts the trial near the end of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

The trial concerns the Knave of Hearts, who is accused of stealing the Queen of Hearts’ tarts. The King acts as judge while the Queen dominates the courtroom, the White Rabbit reads evidence, and witnesses including the Mad Hatter and the Duchess’s Cook are called.

Carroll makes the proceedings deliberately irrational. The court considers a mysterious letter, the Cook refuses to answer useful questions, and the Queen insists on “sentence first—verdict afterwards.” Alice gradually grows larger and challenges the authority of the entire court before declaring that the assembled figures are only a pack of cards.

Readers sometimes confuse the King with the Queen because the Queen is more prominent and gives the commands. The Queen of Hearts orders punishments, but the King formally presides over the Knave’s trial.