The 'tough job' facing Dame Sarah Mullally, the first female Archbishop of Canterbury

The first female Archbishop of Canterbury will be enthroned in a formal ceremony today.

Dame Sarah Mullally is the 106th person to take on the Church of England's top ministry, but the first-ever woman to become Archbishop of Canterbury in the entire 1,400-year history of the role.

"Who could fail to see that there is immense significance," Sky News' royal commentator Alastair Bruce said about Dame Sarah's enthronement.

He added: "The fascinating thing about her is that she left school and she decided she wanted to be a nurse. She became a nurse and then England's top nurse.

"Then she left nursing and became a vicar. Now she's England's top vicar. I think this is an immense achievement by any judgement."

Read more: Who is Dame Sarah Mullally?

Female archbishop previously 'unimaginable'

The Dean of Canterbury, Very Reverend David Monteith, said the first female archbishop "would have almost been unimaginable even 50 years ago".

Bruce echoed this statement, saying that even at the last election of an archbishop, which was a little more than a decade ago, it would have been "unlikely" if not "fairly unimaginable" for a woman to be chosen.

"I don't think 50 years ago there was even much of a chance of a lady vicar in the Church of England," he said.

But while the new Archbishop of Canterbury will face some of the same challenges as the 105 that came before her, "the job she faces will probably be tougher in many ways" due to her gender.

"There are parts of the worldwide Anglican Communion that don't recognise she is even a priest because she is a woman," Bruce said.

"Her selection has presented its problems. Are we going to see a schism? Are we going to see a division?

"There is this sort of implicit rebellion from different parts of the church that are genuinely not happy. But she handled this very imaginatively."

He said that while she was the Bishop of London, she attended a service in a church where the congregation didn't accept women as priests.

"She understood that they would not want her to play a part, so she just went as an observer. That showed great understanding, sensitivity and leadership," Bruce said.

"She was still there, showing the congregation that she cared about them, even though they didn't respect the fact that she should hold the office she held."

What will the ceremony look like?

The ceremony is the conclusion of a pilgrimage from London, where Dame Sarah was previously bishop, to Canterbury, where she will be "translated" to being an archbishop, according to Bruce.

More than 2,000 people are expected to attend the ceremony at Canterbury Cathedral, including William, the Prince of Wales, and faith leaders from around the world.

"A mandate from the King, who is the supreme governor of the Church of England, will be read out, instructing the installation of Dame Sarah and her enthronement in the cathedra, which is the bishop's throne," Bruce said.

Dame Sarah's cathedra will be the Chair of St Augustine, which is a stone chair created in the early 13th century.

"She will give a sermon while seated in the cathedra, and there will be singing, dancing, some readings and prayers before she will leave the Cathedral to go to a place called the Buttermarket, where she will give her first blessing to the people of the city and the diocese of Canterbury," Bruce said.

Dame Sarah has invited nurses and carers working in hospitals and hospices in Canterbury to the ceremony.

This won't be her only nod to her former career as a nurse.

"She is going to be wearing the silver buckle from her nurse's belt instead of a morse, which is a metal clasp holding together a bishop's robes. I think that is really meaningful," the royal commentator said.

What role will the royals play?

The King himself, as the supreme governor, cannot be present while his mandate is being read out, the royal commentator added.

Instead, his son William will attend.

Bruce said: "It is appropriate that the Royal Family's most senior representative possible should be present.

"In addition to that, everyone knows that one of the roles of the Archbishop of Canterbury is to be on hand to both guide and then crown a new sovereign, so the link between a Prince of Wales and an Archbishop of Canterbury is pretty profound."

But William won't have a role to perform in the ceremony. "He's merely witnessing it on behalf of the King," Bruce said.

What significance does the ceremony date have?

"I think she's chosen the 25th of March, which is called the Feast of the Annunciation, on purpose," Bruce said.

On 25 March, the church celebrates the appearance of the angel Gabriel to Mary, telling her she will conceive Jesus.

Read more:
An immense day for the church - it could be what it needs
Heckler interrupts as first woman appointed archbishop

"Today is nine months before Christmas, so recognising the gestation period, and today is known as Lady Day," Bruce said.

"I think she's chosen it deliberately, because she is also a woman and taking on this great role on Lady Day. Maybe she is even seeking a connection to Mary."

Indeed, the church said the ceremony will reflect the theme of Mary saying yes to the calling of God and how this offers hope for the church and the world today.

(c) Sky News 2026: The 'tough job' facing Dame Sarah Mullally, the first female Archbishop of Canterbury