Page "Archbishop of Canterbury" Paragraph 11

Since Henry VIII broke with Rome, the Archbishops of Canterbury have been selected by the English ( British since the Act of Union in 1707 ) monarch.

Today the choice is made in the name of the monarch by the prime minister, from a shortlist of two selected by an ad-hoc committee called the Crown Nominations Commission.

Since the 20th century, the appointment of Archbishops of Canterbury conventionally alternates between more moderate Anglo-Catholics and Evangelicals.