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.
