A UNIVERSITY principal has been appointed as one of the Queen's personal chaplains.
Professor David Fergusson, of Edinburgh University's New College, has been installed as a chaplain-in-ordinary, a role which dates back to the 15th century and allows him to take part in formal state occasions and conduct services.
The Church of Scotland minister, who is an expert on religious history, said: “I hope that my honorary appointment as a chaplain to the Queen may enable me to contribute further to the historic ties between the churches and universities of Scotland in rapidly changing circumstances.”
The Very Rev Professor Iain Torrance, Dean of the Chapel Royal in Scotland, said: “David is a person who writes much admired theology for his professional colleagues but is also able to write with warmth and great lucidity for the person in the pew.
"If becoming Moderator is the most important institutional role to which a minister may be called, appointment as a Chaplain to The Queen is the greatest personal honour.
“In each case in which The Queen makes such an appointment it is an indication of her trust in the person she is honouring".
Mr Fergusson, 59, worked in parish ministry in the 1980s before taking up positions with Aberdeen and then Edinburgh universities.
He has written extensively on faith and has lectured across the UK as well as in Canada, America and Hong Kong.
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