The archbishop of Canterbury has paid tribute to his mother, Jane Williams, who has died at 93, saying she had “lived a full human life, with all its ups and downs”.
Justin Welby said it had been “a privilege to be her son. I am the person I am in part because of her love, example and encouragement.”
In his tribute on Saturday, Welby acknowledged his mother’s recovery from the alcoholism that blighted his childhood, saying her story was one of redemption.
Both his mother and Gavin Welby, the man Justin Welby believed to be his father until 2016, were alcoholics. He has described his early life as “messy”.
Lady Williams divorced Gavin Welby when her son was three. Justin Welby was then raised by Gavin Welby, whose “volatile, unpredictable personality” was exacerbated by alcohol. “You never knew what was going to happen,” the archbishop said in 2013.
Welby later said he was “very careful” about his drinking, adding: “I frequently worry about having my parents’ addictions.”
Williams gave up alcohol in 1968, when her son was 12. Gavin Welby died of health problems relating to alcohol abuse and smoking in 1978.
Seven years ago, Welby discovered that his biological father was not Gavin Welby but Sir Anthony Montague Browne, a former private secretary to Winston Churchill. Williams had a brief relationship with Montague Browne shortly before marrying Gavin Welby.
In a statement on his mother’s death, Welby said: “It’s with profound sadness that I mourn the loss of my mother. I loved her very deeply and it has been a privilege to be her son. I am the person I am in part because of her love, example and encouragement.
“My mother lived a full human life, with all its ups and downs. Her story is one of redemption – which she found through faith in Jesus Christ, and loving service to others. In recovery from alcoholism, she helped countless others to know freedom from addiction.”
In 1977, Williams married Lord Williams of Elvel. Welby said: “It was a happy marriage of over 40 years until his death in 2019. Towards the end of her life she showed great courage, faith and hope. She knew she would soon be with God. That was a source of strength for her, and for all of us, and her death was peaceful and full of hope.”
