Kate Middleton and Prince William Step Out for Historic Ceremony Installing First Female Archbishop of Canterbury

The Prince of Wales represented his father, King Charles, at the service following reports about how William “quietly” practices his faith

Kate Middleton and Prince William are helping to mark history.

The Prince and Princess of Wales stepped out to witness the first woman cleric to lead the Church of England during a service at Canterbury Cathedral on Wednesday, March 25.

Prince William represented his father, King Charles, 77, at the ceremony in which Dame Sarah Mullally was installed as the 106^th Archbishop of Canterbury. It is an established tradition that the heir to the throne takes on the role of leading the royal family in witnessing the event.

Prince William, 43, and Princess Kate, 44, arrived shortly before the service began, being greeted outside the cathedral by Lord Lieutenant of Kent, Lady Colgrain, who dipped into a curtsy for each of them. They processed in to take their seats and joined the congregation in singing a hymn as the larger procession entered.

The Princess of Wales wore a coat by Suzannah with a wide-brimmed hat by Juliette Botterill.

Mullally and the royal couple got to know each other further when she welcomed William and Kate to her official residence, Lambeth Palace in London, in February. She was named as the new Archbishop elect, succeeding Justin Welby, in October 2025 and then confirmed with her formal election in January.

On March 23, it emerged that Prince William has been outlining his thinking about his own beliefs and faith. Unlike his father and his late grandmother Queen Elizabeth, he is not a regular churchgoer. A source close to him told The Sunday Times how he felt and saw his role.

“For him, it is a drawing of a line in the sand of where he’s at, and it’s really important that it [the question over his commitment to the Church] is cleared up,” the source said. “His feeling is, ‘I might not be at church every day, but I believe in it, I want to support it, and this is an important aspect of my role and the next role, and I will take it very seriously, in my own way.’ “

After the meeting with William and Kate on Feb. 5, Mullally said, “I know we hold the same hope for a better world, and I look forward to working together in the years to come. I will continue to hold them and their family in my prayers,” PA reported.

On March 22, Dame Sarah — as she has been titled since she was honored in 2005 by the late Queen Elizabeth with the female equivalent of a knighthood — arrived in Canterbury after her six-day pilgrimage walk from London. She thanked supporters for “whichever part you played in this walk, this pilgrimage,” the BBC reported. “To have accompanied me on the way, whether physically or in prayer, I am very grateful for that, and I look forward very much to you joining with me either in person or online or in prayer on Wednesday.”

Faith leaders — including a representative of Pope Leo XIV and the new Archbishop of Westminster, who heads the Catholic church in England and Wales, the Most Reverend Richard Moth — attended the service, where Moth gave a reading.

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer led the representatives from government and politics, while there were also other faith leaders, representatives from charities, schools and diverse communities among the 2,000-strong congregation. Dame Sarah, who is a former chief nursing officer for England, also invited workers from the National Health Service.

The installation service was held on the Christian Feast of the Annunciation, which celebrates the appearance of the Angel Gabriel to Mary, announcing to her that she will become the mother of Jesus.

As a senior bishop of the Church of England, the Archbishop of Canterbury has crowned most monarchs over the past 1,000 years. They also marry many royal couples, with Prince William and Princess Kate married by the then-Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. Rowan Williams in April 2011 at Westminster Abbey.