LONDON — Sarah Mullally will be installed as archbishop of Canterbury on March 25, 2026. The installation event marks the beginning of Mullally's public ministry as head of the Church of England and spiritual leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion.

Mullally formally became archbishop of Canterbury in January 2026. The installation ceremony will be attended by Prince William, Princess Catherine, Prime Minister Keir Starmer and representatives from the Anglican Communion's 42 member churches.

Archbishop Albert Chama of Zambia will offer a prayer in the Bemba language at the installation service. Bishop Alba Sally Sue Hernández García of Mexico will provide a Bible reading in Spanish at the installation service. The Kyrie prayer will be sung in Urdu at the installation service.

Sarah Mullally will secure her ceremonial cloak with a clasp decorated by the buckle from the belt she wore as a nurse. "I intend be a shepherd who enables everyone's ministry and vocation to flourish, whatever our tradition," Mullally said.

George Gross, an expert on theology and the monarchy at King's College London, commented on the significance of Mullally's appointment. "I think it's huge, absolutely massive. But it matters because, as we've talked before, the stained glass ceiling is smashed. And that, in the world we're in, when we talk of equality, it's hard to have that if you have unattainable positions," Gross said.

Sarah Mullally replaces former Archbishop Justin Welby, who announced his resignation in November 2024. She was born in Woking, southwest of London, in 1962.

She worked as a nurse in the National Health Service until she was named chief nursing officer for England at age 37. She was the youngest person ever to hold the post of chief nursing officer for England. Sarah Mullally became a priest at the age of 40.

Sarah Mullally was named a bishop in 2015, becoming the fourth woman in the Church of England to reach that rank. Three years after becoming a bishop, Sarah Mullally was named bishop of London.

The Church of England ordained its first female priests in 1994 and its first female bishop in 2015. The Anglican Communion has more than 100 million members.