New Archbishop of Canterbury to be enthroned today in 1,400-year first for Christianity in England

New Archbishop of Canterbury to be enthroned today in 1,400-year first for Christianity in England
Woman named as Archbishop of Canterbury for the first time in history |

GB NEWS

Peter Stevens

By Peter Stevens


Published: 25/03/2026

- 07:18

Dame Sarah Mullally will be installed as the first female Archbishop in history - and will deliver her first sermon in Kent on Wednesday

A new Archbishop of Canterbury is set to be enthroned today in a historic first for the Church of England.

Dame Sarah Mullally, will have a service in Canterbury Cathedral to mark the symbolic start of her ministry as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury.


She will be the first female spiritual leader of the Church of England in its nearly 500 years of history, as well as the 1,400 years of broader Christianity in England.

The ceremony will celebrate women, Dame Sarah has said, with the Prince and Princess of Wales set to be among the 2,000 in attendance.

Dame Sarah said her appointment shows women and girls it is "entirely possible for you to follow your dream and what you want to do".

While the King is the head of the Church, Dame Sarah will serve as the most senior bishop and spiritual leader within the Church and worldwide Anglican Communion.

She was congratulated by the King on her appointment in the role last October, but he will not be in attendance for the Wednesday ceremony.

Her appointment was confirmed at a St Paul's Cathedral ceremony in January, after which she spoke with the King and said they both shared a desire for a Church that is "confident, and one that speaks to the Christian hope".

Wednesday marks the first occasion she will deliver a sermon as Archbishop.

Ahead of her installment, she took part in a six-day walking pilgrimage from London to Canterbury, joined by around 100 people as she headed towards the ancient city's cathedral.

Dame Sarah Mullally

Dame Sarah Mullally is set to be installed as the first female Archbishop in the Church's history

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PA

Dame Sarah has previously pledged to speak out on misogyny, which she said she had experienced and insisted must be spoken about to "bring it out into the open".

She replaced Justin Welby in the role after he announced his resignation in November 2024 over failures to handle an abuse scandal.

Dame Sarah acknowledged there were challenges facing the Church and a "legacy of deep harm and mistrust" after prior safeguarding failures.

She used her first presidential address at the Church's Synod to describe safeguarding as a "fundamental, non-negotiable responsibility".

Dame Sarah Mullally

Dame Sarah, a former NHS nurse, has invited healthcare workers to attend the ceremony

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PA

In an interview with the BBC ahead of the ceremony, she said the Church was seeking to be "more trauma informed".

She said it would listen to victims and survivors of abuse and said a "light should be shone on all our actions".

Various languages will feature in the service in a nod to the diversity of Anglican Communion.

Songs will be sung in Urdu, a Gospel will be read in Spanish, and a prayer will be delivered in the Bemba language of Zambia.

Dame Sarah Mullally and King Charles

Dame Sarah has met with the King several times, but he is not expected to be in attendance for her installation

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GETTY

Both Sir Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch are expected to attend the ceremony, along with other faith leaders, charities, healthcare workers and schoolchildren.

Dame Sarah previously worked as the youngest chief nursing officer in the country at the age of 37.

In a nod to her previous career in healthcare, as the youngest chief nursing officer in the country, NHS nurses and careers working in hospitals and hospices were invited to attend the historic installation.

While most have welcomed her history-making appointment, she has previously said she "always understood that people may find my appointment as a woman difficult in the Church".