Anglican leader ‘illegitimate’ son of Churchill secretary

The senior-most clergyman of the Anglican Church, the Archbishop of Canterbury, on Saturday disclosed he has discovered he is the illegitimate son of Britain’s war-time PM Winston Churchill’s private secretary.

The Most Reverend Justin Welby, 60, had decided to take a DNA test after being approached by The Daily Telegraph with research indicating he may be the son of Sir Anthony Mont-ague Browne, the last private secretary of Churchill.

The test showed a 99.9779 per cent probability they were father and son. Until the test in March, Mr Wel-by believed his father was whisky salesman Gavin Welby, who died in 1977.

His mother, Lady Jane Williams of Elvel, has confirmed she had a “liaison” with Sir Anthony just before she wed in 1955. “It appears the precautions taken didn’t work and my wonderful son was conceived as a result of this liaison,” she said.

“To find one’s father is other than imagined is not unusual. This revelation has, of course, been a surprise, but in my life and in our marriage Caroline and I have had far worse,” said Mr Welby.

“I know that I find who I am in Jesus Christ, not in genetics, and my identity in him never changes. Even more importantly my role as Archbishop makes me constantly aware of the real and genuine pain and suffering of many around the world, which should be the main focus of our prayers.”