The Very Rev Patrick Reynolds Mitchell KCVO

Royal Victorian Order

The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...

 is an eminent Anglican

Anglicanism

Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...

 clergyman. He was born on 17 March 1930 and educated at Eton

Eton College

Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....

 and Merton College, Oxford

Merton College, Oxford

Merton College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 1260s when Walter de Merton, chancellor to Henry III and later to Edward I, first drew up statutes for an independent academic community and established endowments to...

. Ordained in 1955 he began his ecclesiastical career with a Curacy

Curate

A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...

 at St. Mark's Church, Mansfield

St. Mark's Church, Mansfield

St. Mark's Church, Mansfield is a parish church in the Church of England in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire.The church is Grade II* listed by the Department for Culture, Media & Sport as it is a particularly significant building of more than local interest....

 following which he was Priest-Vicar of Wells Cathedral

Wells Cathedral

Wells Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral in Wells, Somerset, England. It is the seat of the Bishop of Bath and Wells, who lives at the adjacent Bishop's Palace....

. He then held incumbencies

Vicar

In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...

 in Milton, Portsmouth

Milton, Portsmouth

Milton is a primarily residential area of the city of Portsmouth, a unitary authority formerly in the English county of Hampshire. The area is located on the south eastern side of Portsea Island and is bordered on the east by Langstone Harbour...

 and Frome Selwood, Somerset

Somerset

The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...

 before being appointed Dean of Wells

Dean of Wells

The Dean of Wells is the head of the Chapter of Wells Cathedral in the Mendip district of Somerset, England. The current Dean is the Very Revd John Clarke, who lives in The Dean's Lodging, 25 The Liberty, Wells.-List of the Deans of Wells:*1140–1164 Ivo...

 in 1973, a position he held for 16 years. In 1989 he became Dean of Windsor

Dean of Windsor

The Dean of Windsor is the spiritual head of the Canons of St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. The Dean chairs meetings of the Chapter of Canons as primus inter pares.-List of Deans of Windsor:* William Mugge, 1348* Walter Almaly, 1380...

, which post he held until retirement 8 years later.