Justin Welby has resigned as Archbishop of Canterbury after facing mounting pressure to quit over his handling of the John Smyth abuse case.
The faith leader, 68, who presided over the King's coronation last year and has officiated royal christenings and weddings, including Prince Harry and Meghan's, was appointed in 2013.
But since the publication of a report last week into the church's cover-up of John Smyth's abuse in the UK in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and later in Zimbabwe and South Africa, over 1,500 church members called on Mr Welby to step down from his position.
The King exchanged private words with Archbishop Justin Welby through intermediaries this morning – an approval of resignation process which was followed by their aides. Public words from a monarch, who is the supreme governor of the Church of England, are understood to usually be issued at the point of formal departure rather than at an Archbishop of Canterbury’s resignation.
In a lengthy statement posted on social media on Thursday, Mr Welby wrote: "Having sought the gracious permission of His Majesty The King, I have decided to resign as Archbishop of Canterbury."
"The Makin Review has exposed the long-maintained conspiracy of silence about the heinous abuses of John Smyth.
"When I was informed in 2013 and told that police had been notified, I believed wrongly that an appropriate resolution would follow.
"It is very clear that I must take personal and institutional responsibility for the long and retraumatising period between 2013 and 2024.
"It is my duty to honour my Constitutional and church responsibilities, so exact timings will be decided once a review of necessary obligations has been completed, including those in England and in the Anglican Communion.
"I hope this decision makes clear how seriously the Church of England understands the need for change and our profound commitment to creating a safer church. As I step down I do so in sorrow with all victims and survivors of abuse.
He continued: "The last few days have renewed my long felt and profound sense of shame at the historic safeguarding failures of the Church of England. For nearly twelve years I have struggled to introduce improvements. It is for others to judge what has been done.
"In the meantime, I will follow through on my commitment to meet victims. I will delegate all my other current responsibilities for safeguarding until the necessary risk assessment process is complete.
"I ask everyone to keep my wife Caroline and my children in their prayers. They have been my most important support throughout my ministry, and I am eternally grateful for their sacrifice. Caroline led the spouses’ programme during the Lambeth Conference and has travelled tirelessly in areas of conflict supporting the most vulnerable, the women, and those who care for them locally.
"I believe that stepping aside is in the best interests of the Church of England, which I dearly love and which I have been honoured to serve. I pray that this decision points us back towards the love that Jesus Christ has for every one of us.
"For above all else, my deepest commitment is to the person of Jesus Christ, my saviour and my God; the bearer of the sins and burdens of the world, and the hope of every person."
© GettyHours before Mr Welby's resignation, prime minister Keir Starmer did not comment directly on the Archbishop's position but said the "victims have been failed very, very badly".
Speaking to reporters from the Cop29 summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, Mr Starmer said: "Let me be clear: of what I know of the allegations, they are clearly horrific in relation to this particular case, both in their scale and their content. My thoughts, as they are in all of these issues, are with the victims here who have obviously been failed very, very badly.
"It's a matter, in the end, for the church, but I’m not going to shy away from the fact of saying that these are horrific allegations and that my thoughts are with the victims in relation to it."
