Former Telegraph editor Moore would not have published Archbishop paternity story without his consent

Apr 12, 2016 by Jill

By Charlotte Tobitt, Press Gazette:

The Telegraph journalist behind the Archbishop of Canterbury’s “secret father” revelation has said he would not have pursued the story further without consent from the clergyman.

Ex-Telegraph editor Charles Moore decided it was in the public interest to pursue the story which revealed the Most Reverend Justin Welby’s illegitimate father was actually the late Sir Anthony Montague Browne, not whisky salesman Gavin Welby who was married briefly to his mother Jane.

Moore told Press Gazette: “I thought it was in the public interest because when he had become Archbishop he had given interviews about his faith and the influence on him ofhis father and the difficult life he had had with his father Gavin Welby.

“He explained this very convincingly as important in his life, and so it was.”

Moore believed that although his father turning out to be somebody else did not invalidate the Archbishop’s words, it was a matter of correcting the public record.

However, Moore said he would not have pursued the story past the research stage without cooperation from Archbishop Welby.

“I think it is a good story to do but only with certain qualifications,” he said. “I thought to myself it would be wrong to front him up with the story and say I will do it whatever happens.”

He added: “In a sense he had power over the story because he could have behaved differently, he could have said go away and I think if he had done that I would not have been able to go further.”

Therefore after gathering the initial evidence Moore, who already knew the Archbishop “slightly”, met him in a private capacity accompanied by an intermediary.

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