The Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, Bishop Mark Strange, will today (25 March) attend the installation of the new Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev and Rt Hon Dame Sarah Mullally, at Canterbury Cathedral.

The special service on the Feast of the Annunciation, which begins at 3pm, will enthrone the first ever female leader of the Church of England.

The new Archbishop will also serve as the head of the global Anglican Communion, which consists of around 85 million people across 165 countries.

The Prince and Princess of Wales will be part of the congregation representing King Charles, and will hear Dame Sarah’s first sermon as archbishop, before 2,000 guests.

The Primates of the Anglican Communion are all invited.

“My prayer is that many will make this journey and that Archbishop Sarah will feel supported in this remarkable ministry she is embarking on,” said Bishop Mark, Primus.

“I feel deeply honoured to be here representing the Scottish Episcopal Church on the day we witness the first woman taking up this wonderful role among us.”

The 105 previous Archbishops of Canterbury, from St Augustine in 597 AD, have all been men. This is the first time that a woman has been eligible for the role, because female bishops were not consecrated by the Church of England when the previous Archbishop of Canterbury was chosen 13 years ago. They now make up almost one third of all bishops in England.

Dame Sarah, then the Bishop of London, was chosen as Archbishop of Canterbury in October 2025. She was confirmed as Archbishop in at legal ceremony at St Paul’s Cathedral in London in January this year, and in February made an oath of allegiance to the sovereign, acknowledging the King as the supreme governor of the Church of England.

Today’s service comes at the conclusion of a six-day pilgrimage undertaken by Dame Sarah from London to Canterbury as part of her spiritual preparation for her installation.

The installation service will be broadcast live on BBC One and on the Church of England’s YouTube channel here.