Royal Warrant - For the Restitution of the Temporalities of the Archbishopric of Canterbury [2026-02-04]

Royal Warrant - For the Restitution of the Temporalities of the Archbishopric of Canterbury [2026-02-04]

Archbishops and Bishops

Royal Warrant of King Charles III directing the Lord Chancellor to pass Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the Realm restoring the temporalities of the Archbishopric of Canterbury to Sarah Mullally.

King Charles III

FOI request

2026-02-04

T. Onslow

Diocese of Canterbury

(Sgd.) Charles R

CHARLES THE THIRD by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Our other Realms and Territories King Head of the Commonwealth Defender of the Faith: To Our right trusty and well beloved Counsellor Our Chancellor of Great Britain one of Our Principal Secretaries of State GREETING: Whereas the Archiepiscopal See of Canterbury being lately vacant by the resignation of the Right Reverend Our right trusty and well beloved Counsellor Justin Portal Welby Knight Grand Cross of Our Royal Victorian Order Master of Arts lately Archbishop thereof the College of Canons of Our Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Christ Canterbury having desired and likewise obtained Our leave have elected the Most Reverend Our right trusty and well beloved Counsellor Sarah Elisabeth Mullally Dame Commander of Our Most Excellent Order of the British Empire Master of Science Master of Arts to be their Archbishop and Pastor to which election and person so elected We have granted Our Royal Assent and favour and have received her homage due to Us for the said Archbishopric of Canterbury And have restored to her the Temporalities of the said Archbishopric (except all manors lands tenements and hereditaments with the appurtenances to the said Archbishopric lately belonging and appertaining now in Our hands by virtue of a certain Act of Parliament made and provided in the first year of the Reign of Our Royal Predecessor Queen Elizabeth the First (if any such there may be) and in Our Exchequer remaining of record) Wherefore We Command You that under the Great Seal of Our Realm remaining in your custody you cause to be made forth Our Letters and Writs for the Restitution of the Temporalities of the Archbishopric of Canterbury to the aforesaid elected Archbishop in due form and in such case accustomed To have and to receive the issues and profits of the aforesaid Archbishopric to the elected Archbishop from the time of the resignation of the said Justin Portal Welby without account or any other thing therefor to be rendered paid or done unto Us

Given at Our Court at Saint James's the fourth day of February two thousand and twenty-six in the fourth year of Our Reign

BY HIS MAJESTY'S COMMAND

(Sgd.) David Lammy

This contains a Warrant to the Lord High Chancellor to pass Letters Patent under the Great Seal whereby Your Majesty is pleased to grant the Restitution of the Temporalities of the Archiepiscopal See of Canterbury unto the Most Reverend and Right Honourable Sarah Elisabeth Mullally, D.B.E., M.Sc., M.A., now Archbishop of that See to commence from the time of the resignation of the Right Reverend and Right Honourable Justin Portal Welby, G.C.V.O., M.A., And this Warrant is prepared according to Your Majesty's Royal Command

Received the 4th day of February 2026 (Sgd.) David Lammy

Signified by Secretary of State FARRAR Clerk of the Crown in Chancery

David Lammy (Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice)

Black and white Royal Arms at the top.

Printed in Times New Roman.

Royal name is capitalized and begins with a drop cap.

Mullally's name is in boldface.

This Warrant is unusual in that it doesn't include an abbreviated version of the teste clause ("In Witness &c. Witness &c."). This is because, unlike a typical Warrant for the Great Seal, this one doesn't authorize the sealing of a single document. Instead, it authorizes the sealing of several different instruments, including Writs to the relevant escheators as well as a Mandate to the knights, tenants, and freeholders of the Archbishopric of Canterbury.

This document refers to Mullally as "Our right trusty and well beloved Counsellor." While this seems to be typical in the case of an archbishop's temporalities (cf. the Warrant for the restitution of Rowan Williams' temporalities), this language doesn't seem to be used when a bishop's temporalities are restored. For example, the Mandate to the knights, tenants, and freeholders of the Bishopric of Bath and Wells) styles the outgoing bishop "the Right Reverend Peter Hancock" rather than "the Right Reverend Our right trusty and well beloved Peter Hancock".