Jamaica-born Rose, as she is know to her parishioners, regards her recent appointment to the roster of scarlet-robed royal chaplains serving the monarch as a great honor for the people of her parish and herself, but says she will not be changing her style of preaching.

"One of the things I am passionate about is that we belong to one another and that we should not allow cultural differences to become a hindrance to finding a way to connect. I shall want to bring an awareness to others of the lives of the people I serve at Holy Trinity, Dalston and All Saints, Haggerston [in the district of Hackney]," Hudson-Wilkin told Ecumenical News International.

The new royal chaplain, who is 49 years old, is a member of the general synod, the Church of England parliament, and serves on various committees, including those relating to ethnic minority Anglicans and broadcasting standards.

On the issue of homosexuality, she is typically forthright. "We are playing games to our detriment," she said. "There are much more important problems to be concerned about than homosexuality. Look at what is happening in Kenya and Zimbabwe and with child soldiers and AIDS. This is where our prayers should be and our attention directed to what we can do."

Hudson-Wilkin's husband, Kenneth, is chaplain to Holloway women's prison in London, and they care for a family that has three children. Both began their vocations in the Church Army in Jamaica. She revisited her home country with Archbishop of York John Sentamu, as his chaplain, for the observances marking the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade. She was ordained a priest in 1994, among the first women to be admitted to the priesthood in the Church of England.

The 400-year-old Queen's Chapel beside St. James' Palace where Hudson-Wilkin will officiate and preach occasionally is used for events such as royal christenings. It is also open to the general public for services of hymns, attracting both Londoners and tourists.