Lady Cooper Knowles Leland

The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Mikell Leland, Jr., Lady Cooper Leland will not only reign as MCA Queen for the 2023 season, she has also been chosen to serve as both the 180th Strikers Leading Lady and the 155th Infant Mystics (IM) Leading Lady, representing her grandfather and father who have been members of both societies for many years. Being selected as MCA Queen and as a Leading Lady, means Cooper will be following in the footsteps of many generations of her family.

Cooper’s Mardi Gras lineage dates back to 1936, when her great-grandmother served as Lady in Waiting. Cooper’s grandfather, David J.Cooper reigned as MCA King Felix in 1971. Additionally, her aunt, Margaret Cooper Biggs was Queen in 1998, her uncle, David Cooper Jr., was King in 2004, while both of her parents were in the court of 1990, where her father served as her mother’s Knight. Cooper’s brother, Thomas, was Juvenile King in 2014, and her sister served as Juvenile Queen in 2019.

For the Strikers, whose ball took place on December 30, 2022, Cooper wore a silver sequined Monique Lhuillier gown her mother scouted on Instagram, which she accentuated with her grandmother’s rhinestone earrings and necklace. Additionally, she wore her good friend, Katherine Cane’s, grandmother’s pin from 1908. “Her family gave me the pin as a gift, which is so special to me!” Cooper says. As Leading Lady of the IM’s, Cooper is excited to carry on the tradition started by her mother, her aunt, and both of her cousins—all of whom lead the ball their court year! The IM ball is set to take place on Monday, February 20th, the day before Fat Tuesday and is a celebration many look forward to all Carnival season. For the ball, Cooper will be wearing a Vera Wang gown featuring a middle cutout and a bow on the back. Like a true Queen, Cooper is finishing the look with a Vera Wang crown.

Cooper is currently a senior at The University of Alabama where she studies Finance with a concentration in Value Investing. She is very involved in her sorority, Kappa Delta and is in the Honors College. She has been on the Dean’s List and President’s Lists. “I absolutely love my school and everyone I have met in the past four years. I can’t believe that I am already a senior,” says Cooper. She will graduate in May of this year and upon graduation she hopes to travel a bit before settling down at a job in a new city.

Cooper will be following in the footsteps of many generations of her family. Cooper’s Mardi Gras lineage dates back to 1936, when her great-grandmother served as Lady in Waiting.