Rt Rev David Conner will lead the wedding service for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on Saturday at St George's Chapel, Windsor.
Alongside the archbishop of Canterbury, who will officiate for the marriage vows, and Michael Curry, the presiding bishop of the US Episcopal Church, who will give the address, Conner will play a leading role in the service to be watched by millions around the world.
Conner, 71, has been dean of Windsor since 1998 and so holds one of the most bizarre and historic positions within the Church of England.
He has presided over a number of high-profile royal events including the service of blessing following the civil wedding of the Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker-Bowles. He also serves as the domestic chaplain to the Queen and as such he is well known to the Royal Family. St George's Chapel, over which he is in charge, is the parish church for those who live inside Windsor Castle's walls, including the Royal Family.
Within the Church of England Conner holds a unique role in that he does not come under the authority of any bishop, not even the archbishop of Canterbury. St George's Chapel is one of a handful of churches known as 'Royal Peculiars'. This means that in order for Justin Welby to attend the Royal wedding this Saturday, he had to be officially invited by Conner, who is technically in charge of all services at the chapel.
This unusual status means he has almost complete independence and authority over how St George's operates. The chapel has a multi-million pound budget which Conner oversees as a 'first among equals' alongside a group of other senior church officials known as canons. In 2014/15 he led decisions on how nearly £5 million was spent, which had reduced to a more typical £2.5million in 2017. Conner also has overall charge of dozens of staff and nearly 300 volunteer stewards.
On top of that he is also registrar to a historic Royal tradition known as the Order of the Garter. The Queen, as Sovereign of the Garter, chooses 24 'knights' in recognition of their public service. Every knight is required to display a banner of his arms in St George's Chapel, which acts as the Order's home, together with a helmet, crest and sword and an enamelled stallplate, giving the chapel a colourful and decorative look. Previous 'knights' have included Marshal of the RAF, Lord Stirrup, and former prime ministers Sir John Major and Sir Winston Churchill.
Before being appointed dean of Windsor, Conner was briefly bishop of Lynn in the diocese of Norwich, a junior position, from 1994-98.
He was originally ordained in 1971 and went on to hold various chaplaincy positions including at St Edward's, Oxford. He was then made vicar at Great St Mary's, Cambridge, in 1987, before being appointed bishop of Lynn.
He has served as bishop to the armed forces from 2001-2009.
Conner's role in the Royal wedding is likely to be limited to welcoming Prince Harry and Meghan, conducting an initial prayer or blessing and possibly giving a final blessing at the end.
