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British Royals

The King approves the appointment of the first ever female Archbishop of Canterbury

By
3rd October 2025
The Bishop of London, Sarah Mullally, sits on a blue chair to announce her appointment as Archbishop of Canterbury

King Charles has become the first Supreme Governor of the Church of England to approve the appointment of a woman as Archbishop of Canterbury.

The Rt Revd and Rt Hon Dame Sarah Mullally DBE was chosen as the new Archbishop with The King giving his assent to the choice.

The announcement was made by 10 Downing Street followed by a short video released by the Church of England with the incoming Archbishop introducing herself.

She succeeds Justin Welby who resigned after criticism over his handling of a safeguarding issue within the Church of England.

The new Archbishop will formally take up her role in January 2026 while her enthronement will take place in a ceremony in the months after that which will be attended by members of the Royal Family.

Sarah Mullally said ”I know this is a huge responsibility but I approach it with a sense of peace and trust in God to carry me as He always has.”

Her road to Canterbury began with her conversion to Christianity in her teenage years. She worked in the NHS as a cancer nurse and was Chief Nursing Officer for England. Her damehood was awarded for services to nursing. She is married to Eamonn Mullally and has a son and daughter.

She was ordained in 2001 and left nursing in 2004 to concentrate on her ministry full time. She was made Bishop of Crediton in 2015, the first year that women were permitted to hold the role of bishop.

She became Bishop of London, the third most senior cleric in the Church of England, in 2017.

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About author

Lydia Starbuck is Editor in Chief at Royal Central and the main producer and presenter of the Royal Central Podcast and Royal Central Extra.Lydia is also a pen name of June Woolerton who is a journalist and writer with over twenty years experience in TV, radio, print and online. Her latest book, A History of British Royal Jubilees, is out now. Her new book, The Mysterious Death of Katherine Parr, will be published in March 2024.June is an award winning reporter, producer and editor. She's appeared on outlets including BBC 5 Live, BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Local Radio and has also helped set up a commercial radio station.June is also an accomplished writer with a wide range of material published online and in print. She is the author of two novels, published as e-books. She is also a marriage registrar and ceremony celebrant.