Michael Mann

The Rt. Rev. Micheal Ashley Mann KCVO was the Dean of Windsor and Chairman of St. George's House from 1976-89. during this time he was Domestic Chaplain to the Queen. He was educated at Harrow and Sandhurst and the Graduate School of Business Administration at Harvard. He served in World War Two becoming part of the Colonial Administrative service in Nigeria (1946-55) after which he attended Theological college going back to Nigeria in 1962-67 becoming advisor to the Bishop of Norwich on Industry (1969-74). Mann was ordained in 1957, eventually becoming Bishop of Dudley and then Dean of Windsor. Having served in the 1st King's Dragoon Guards throughout World War II. He is a military historian with a number of books to his credit. He has always maintained a close connection with the Army and has frequently been invited to preach at major military occasions.

He is a trustee of the Imperial War Museum, The British Library, The Military Records Society, The Atlantic College (1987-91) and Chaplain of the Royal British Legion.

Charles Handy and Michael Mann are credited with setting up the ‘Windsor Meetings’ under the guidance of The Duke of Edinburgh in 1981, "they laid the foundations for a movement of leaders committed to shaping a better society." This led to the formation of the Windsor Leadership Trust.

The Royal Peculiars

The connection between the Royal Family and St George's Chapel is a strong one. Members of the Royal Family have been baptised, married and buried there. The Queen is closely involved with the life of the College, attends mattins at the chapel on Easter Day, and takes part in the annual ceremony of the Order of the Garter.

Mann also took part in in a review in 1999 of the governance and administration of the 'Royal Peculiars': Westminster Abbey, St. George's Chapel, Windsor and the Chapels Royal. The Review was duly established with the following terms of reference: 'To review and report to Her Majesty The Queen, through the Lord Chancellor, with recommendations, on the organisation, management and accountability of each of Westminster Abbey, St. George's Chapel, Windsor and the Chapels Royal responsible to the Dean of the Chapels Royal, but without prejudice to their status as Royal Peculiars'.

Both the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution (21st Report, Setting Environmental Standards, 1998) and the House of Lords Select Committee in Science and Technology (Science and Society, 2000) have addressed the problems of environmental decision-making with consultations held at St. George’s House, Windsor Castle, from 12 to 14 April 2002. The Consultation continued a series also held at St George’s House in the late 1980s under the leadership of the Duke of Edinburgh and Michael Mann (the conclusions of which were published by St George’s House as 'Survival or Extinction', in 1989) and more immediately by Consultations organized by the John Ray Initiative in London in 1999 (published as 'A Christian Appproach to the Environment in Transformation') and jointly with St George’s House in 2000 (on ‘Environmental Stewardship’; available on the John Ray Initiative web-site: www.jri.org.uk).

As part of helping out with PR for the Royals Mann has come to the aid of Prince Philip's comments about '“slitty-eyed” Chinese, pot-bellied Hungarians and pyjama-wearing Nigerians [that] have become notorious'. :

"Michael Mann, the former Dean of Windsor, who worked closely with the prince, defends Philip. “He has a very sharp mind,” Mann said. “He believes that by making a quip he can draw out the other person.”"

This friendship has resulted in a book modestly titled: "A Windsor correspondence between HRH The Duke of Edinburgh and the Rt. Rev. Michael Mann, Dean of Windsor"