An Honorary Chaplain to the King (KHC) is a member of the

clergy Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

within the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

who, through long and distinguished service, is appointed to minister to the

monarch of the United Kingdom The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional monarchy, constitutional form of government by which a hereditary monarchy, hereditary sovereign reigns as the head of state of the United ...

. When the reigning monarch is female, Honorary Chaplains are known as Honorary Chaplains to the Queen (QHC). there are 33 appointees. They are also known as Honorary Chaplains to the Sovereign. Honorary Chaplains wear a scarlet

cassock The cassock or soutane is a Christian clerical clothing coat used by the clergy and male religious of the Oriental Orthodox Churches, Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church, in addition to some clergy in certain Protestant denomi ...

and a special bronze badge consisting of the royal cypher and crown within an oval wreath. The badge is worn below medal ribbons or miniature medals during the conduct of religious services on the left side of the scarf by chaplains who wear the scarf and on academic or ordinary clerical dress by other chaplains. Ten ministers of the

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Scottish Reformation, Reformation of 1560, when it split from t ...

are appointed as Chaplains to the King in Scotland. The monarch may also, as circumstances dictate, appoint ''extra'' chaplains.

Notable chaplains

Gavin Ashenden Gavin Roy Pelham Ashenden (born 3 June 1954) is a British Catholic layman, author and commentator, and Associate Editor of the Catholic Herald. Formerly a priest of the Church of England, and subsequently a continuing Anglican bishop. He was a ...

, was a QHC from 2008 to 2017; he then resigned from the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

in protest and was first made a bishop in the

Christian Episcopal Church The Christian Episcopal Church (XnEC) is a Continuing Anglican jurisdiction consisting of parishes in Canada and the United States and with oversight of several parishes in the Cayman Islands. Its bishops are in apostolic succession through the R ...

and then to convert to the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Rose Hudson-Wilkin Rose Josephine Hudson-Wilkin, (born 19 January 1961) is a British Anglican bishop, who has been suffragan Bishop of Dover in the diocese of Canterbury - deputising for the Archbishop - since 2019: she is the first black woman to become a Church ...

, who delivered a prayer at the

Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was held on Saturday 19 May 2018 in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle in the United Kingdom. The groom is a member of the British royal family; the bride is American and previously worked as an ...

and also served as

Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons The Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons, also known as the Speaker's Chaplain, is a Church of England priest who officiates at services held at the Palace of Westminster and its associated chapel, St Mary Undercroft. The Chaplain a ...

, currently

Bishop of Dover The Bishop of Dover is an episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Canterbury, England. The title takes its name after the town of Dover in Kent. The Bishop of Dover holds the additional title of "Bishop in ...

Mary Levison Mary Irene Levison (8 January 1923 – 12 September 2011) was the first person to petition the Church of Scotland for the ordination of women to the Ministry of Word and Sacrament in 1963. This was achieved five years later and Levison became a m ...

, in 1991 she became first woman to hold the position of QHC in her role as a minister of the

Marion Mingins Marion Elizabeth Mingins, (12 July 1952 – 26 June 2006) was a British Anglican priest and former social worker. A canon residentiary of St Edmundsbury Cathedral from 1993 to 2002, she became the first Anglican woman to become a Chaplain to the ...

, first woman to become an Anglican QHC

Notes

Positions within the British Royal Household {{Anglican-stub

Notable chaplains

See also

Notes