Giles brings considerable experience from his career and pastoral role in the RAF. He was ordained into the Church of England in 1992. Having served as a curate in Hertfordshire, he was appointed Chaplain and Honorary Lecturer in the University of London in 1995. While working at the university he was commissioned as a Reservist Chaplain, before joining the RAF as a Regular in 2007. Giles’ career in the military follows in the footsteps of his father, who undertook National Service in Cyprus with the Grenadier Guards.
During his service with the RAF, Giles has served in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Falklands, Germany, Cyprus, Ascension Island, and Kenya. In the UK he has worked on flying, training, and HQ units. For his work as chaplain to the UK Joint Force Medical Group, Afghanistan he was appointed MBE in the March 2014 Operational Honours List.
He became a Member of the Royal College of Defence Studies in London in 2021 and, in August 2022, on completion of the course, he was promoted to Air Vice-Marshal to become Chaplain-in-Chief.
In 2018 he was appointed Honorary Chaplain to HM The Queen, and in 2022 to HM The King. In 2023 he was made a Fellow of King’s College London.
RBL Director General, Mark Atkinson, said: “We are very pleased to announce that the Venerable Dr Giles Legood has been appointed to the position of National Chaplain.
“With many years of experience as a chaplain in the Royal Air Force, Giles’ appointment is warmly welcomed by all at the RBL, especially as we near the poignant Remembrance period.
“He will play a significant role in the Festival of Remembrance when the nation reflects on the sacrifices made by the military and their families, and we look forward to working with him during the time he’ll be in post.”
Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Rich Knighton KCB ADC FREng, said: “I am delighted to see that Giles Legood, the RAF’s Chaplain-in-Chief, has been appointed as the RBL’s National Chaplain. I am certain that he will serve the RBL just as brilliantly as he does the Royal Air Force.”
