Dame Sarah Mullally was officially installed as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury on Wednesday, March 25, 2026. She is the first woman to hold the position in the Church’s nearly 1,500-year history. She assumes control of a deeply fractured Church of England. The institution is currently facing a global Anglican schism over female ordination, severe internal backlash from historical abuse failures, and mounting financial pressures across its parishes.
The 64-year-old former NHS Chief Nursing Officer officially succeeded Justin Welby. She previously worked as the Bishop of London.
The installation ceremony took place at Canterbury Cathedral. Thousands attended the historic service. The Prince and Princess of Wales and UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer sat in the congregation. Mullally swore her official oath on the historic St John’s Bible. Church officials then presented her with the pastoral staff, known as a crosier, which Archbishop Geoffrey Fisher previously used in 1961.
In a modern departure from tradition, the incoming Archbishop walked to her installation. She completed a six-day, 140km pilgrimage before the Wednesday service.
The journey started at St Paul’s Cathedral in London and followed the ancient Becket Camino route directly to Canterbury.
Wednesday’s shift in leadership shows the widening divide within the Anglican Communion. Several international provinces still refuse to recognize the ordination of female priests or bishops. This theological split is just one of the immediate institutional crises Mullally now faces. She must also address the fierce controversy surrounding the £100m “Project Spire” fund, which the Church established to handle its historical connections to transatlantic slavery.