What is the Church of England?
The Church of England is the established church in England, with the monarch as its Supreme Governor. It was created in the 1500s when King Henry VIII broke away from the Roman Catholic Church.
Henry VIII split from Rome after the Pope refused to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. The Act of Supremacy of 1534 made the king head of the church in England.
The church developed Protestant beliefs during the reigns of Edward VI and Elizabeth I.
Structure and worship
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the most senior bishop and spiritual leader of the church. The church is divided into dioceses led by bishops.
The Church of England is the mother church of the worldwide Anglican Communion, which includes churches in many countries.
Its services often use the Book of Common Prayer, first published in 1549. Women were ordained as priests from 1994 and as bishops from 2014.
Twenty-six bishops sit in the House of Lords. The church owns many historic buildings, including cathedrals and parish churches.
Its headquarters are at Church House in Westminster.