The Archdeacon of London, Fr Luke Miller, has been appointed as a Chaplain to Her Majesty The Queen. A Chaplain to The Queen is a member of the clergy who, after distinguished service, is appointed to an honorary role in service of the monarch.
Fr Luke will become a member of the College of Royal Chaplains which forms part of Her Majesty The Queen’s Ecclesiastical Household. He will join a rota of Chaplains who are available to Her Majesty at any time and will preach once a year in the Chapel Royal, St James’ Palace, London.
The Ven Luke Miller, Archdeacon of London, said:
“I am honoured and delighted to have been appointed by Her Majesty The Queen to this role, which I will take on alongside my position as Archdeacon of London and Rector of S Andrew by the Wardrobe. It will be a great privilege to work alongside the other Chaplains to The Queen, both from within the Diocese of London and beyond, from whose ministry I will learn a great deal.”
Sarah Mullally, Bishop of London and Dean of Her Majesty’s Chapels Royal, said:
“I’m delighted that Her Majesty The Queen has appointed Fr Luke to this role. It’s a well-deserved recognition of his work in the Diocese of London and beyond over the past 30 years since his ordination. The wide variety of work he undertakes in the Diocese, and the creativity and commitment with which he approaches it, is inspiring and will serve him well in this new position as an Honorary Chaplain to The Queen.
The Diocese of London is privileged to be home to several excellent Chaplains to The Queen, which is testament to the hard work and dedication of our clergy.”
Fr Luke has been Archdeacon of London since 2016, and was previously Archdeacon of Hampstead. He is currently a member of the General Synod and very recently stepped down as Chair of the London Diocesan Board for Schools. He chairs the Faith Sector Panel of the London Resilience Forum and is responsible for helping Faith Communities across London be ready to respond in major incidents. Recently he has played a leading role in guiding the Diocese of London’s response to the Coronavirus pandemic, and has been appointed a member of the London recovery Board.
Fr Luke becomes the fifth member of the Diocese of London clergy to serve as a current Honorary Chaplain to The Queen. Fr Edward Lewis, the Vicar of St Mary’s Kenton in North London, is the most longstanding Honorary Chaplain, having been appointed in 2008 whilst working as the chief executive of the Hospital Chaplaincies Council. The Archdeacon of Hackney, Liz Adekunle, and the Senior Chaplain to the Metropolitan Police, Jonathan Osborne, were both appointed to role in 2017, while Rupert Charkham, who joined as Vicar of St. Michael’s Church, Chester Square from the Diocese of Cambridge this year, was appointed in 2016.