Church of England ceremony: The first female Archbishop of Canterbury Dame Sarah Mullally is being installed. Here’s what to know
The Church of England is set to make history with the accession to the throne of the first female Archbishop of Canterbury.
Dame Sarah Mullally will be officially installed at Canterbury Cathedral on Wednesday.
The former chief nursing officer for England and bishop of London was appointed to the post in October.
Dame Sarah replaces Justin Welby, who resigned in 2024 over his failure to deal with the churchguard scandal.
Legally an archbishop since the ceremony at St Paul’s Cathedral in January, Canterbury’s ceremony marks the symbolic beginning of his ministry.
Here’s what you need to know about the service.
What’s happening on Wednesday?
Dame Sarah will deliver her first sermon as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury.
Walking from London to Canterbury on a six-day pilgrimage that ends on Sunday, Dame Sarah will knock on the cathedral’s West Door to ask for admission and will be greeted by children from the John Wallis Academy in Ashford, a local school in the diocese.
The 90-minute ceremony will include an order from the King, who will not be present, instructing officials to proceed with the installation, or enthronement as it has been known historically.
As part of the service, Dame Sarah will renew her oaths and commitments to the service and swear on scripture using the St John’s Bible given to the cathedral in 2023.
During the ceremony, he will be placed first in the Episcopal cathedral, known as the Bishop’s Seat, dating from 1844, and then in the antique St Augustine’s Chair, dating from the early 13th century, where archbishops have been seated for centuries.
Who will be at the service?
Approximately 2,000 guests, including the Prince and Princess of Wales, are expected to attend the ceremony.
William, who as heir to the throne will one day succeed his father as Supreme Governor of the Church of England, will represent the King on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch will also attend the meeting.
It is expected that 32 of the 42 total provinces of the Anglican Communion will be represented (all invited).
Although the royal family is not planned to play an active role in the ceremony, they will be greeted by the Archbishop outside the West Gate at the end of the ceremony.
Other guests will include bishops and clergy from across the Church of England and other faith leaders such as Cardinal Kurt Koch, who represents the Pope, Imam Kari Asim of the British Muslim Network and Phil Rosenberg, chairman of the Board of Deputies of British Jews.
Charity representatives, healthcare workers, including those working in hospitals and care homes in Canterbury, and school children will also attend.
Are there any other special elements to the service?
It will feature six languages, including English, in tribute to the diversity of the Anglican Communion. These will include Urdu songs, Spanish Bible readings and prayers in Zambia’s Bemba language.
Five of the “African Six”, the first female Anglican bishops from across Africa, will proceed through the nave of the Cathedral in their robes.
To celebrate the contributions of women scholars, musicians and writers to the Church over the years, choral music will be presented ranging from the Renaissance to the contemporary, including the anthem All Shall Be Well by British composer Joanna Marsh.
For the first time, Dame Sarah’s oath will be on St John’s Bible, the first hand-illuminated Benedictine Bible in more than 500 years, which was given to the cathedral in 2023.
The Augustine Bibles used between 1945 and 2013, when the last archbishop was sworn in, are said to be fragile and cannot be moved easily.
The buckle on the cloak (known as a hood) is made from the belt buckle that Dame Sarah will don wore as a nurse while serving in the NHS; The personnel available to him during the service are the same as those used by the last bishop of London, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Geoffrey Fisher.
