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The Daily Mail has orchestrated the spin of the century on the Justin Welby scandal.
The Archbishop of Canterbury resigned on Tuesday (12/11) after a damning report exposed a “conspiracy of silence” around a barrister thought to have been the most prolific abuser associated with the Church of England.
Welby had come under growing pressure to stand down over his “failures” to alert authorities about John Smyth QC’s “abhorrent” abuse of children and young men.
On Tuesday, he said it was “very clear I must take personal and institutional responsibility for the long and retraumatising period between 2013 and 2024”.
“The Makin review has exposed the long-maintained conspiracy of silence about the heinous abuses of John Smyth. 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 12 years I have struggled to introduce improvements. It is for others to judge what has been done. 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.”
But in a dramatic twist, the Daily Mail has uncovered the real reason Welby was forced to step down – and it’s not what you might think.
Cameron Roy says the outgoing Archbishop “fell under the spell” of Harry and Meghan as he prepared to lead the service of their wedding and officiate the christening of the couple’s first child Archie.
He claims his friendship with the Sussexes “raised questions about his judgement” which, ultimately, led to his demise as the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Who’d have known?
Related: Daily Mail runs to ECHR after arguing its human rights ‘were breached’
