Bishop
On 15 May 1992, Chartres was nominated Bishop of Stepney, an area bishop in the Diocese of London. He was consecrated as bishop on 22 May 1992 at St Paul's Cathedral, by George Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury.
In November 1995, Chartres was enthroned as the Bishop of London, also becoming Prelate of the Order of the British Empire, Dean of the Chapels Royal and a Privy Counsellor. In 1997 he was appointed a Chaplain of the Most Venerable Order of Saint John (ChStJ). An Honorary Bencher of the Middle Temple since 1998, he is a Liveryman of the Worshipful Companies of Merchant Taylors and of Drapers, and has been admitted as an Honorary Freeman of the Grocers', Vintners', Weavers' and the Woolmen's Companies.
In 1997, Chartres was one of the executors of the will of Diana, Princess of Wales, and delivered an address at her memorial service in 2007. He confirmed both Prince William and Catherine Middleton. On 12 September 2009 he presided at the marriage of Lord Frederick Windsor to actress Sophie Winkleman at the Chapel Royal in Hampton Court Palace.
Chartres is the founder and chairman of the trustees of the St Ethelburga's Centre for Reconciliation and Peace. He is also a trustee of Coexist, sitting on the advisory council of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation. In October 2005, he joined Marianne Suhr at St Giles in the Fields, London WC2, to launch a new maintenance project for the capital's historic churches.
In January 2006, Chartres was criticised by the media for his decision to spend Easter on a cruise ship giving lectures on theology rather than attend the services at St Paul's Cathedral. At the time, Chartres was on a two-month sabbatical, his first in 33 years. He preached the sermon at the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton on 29 April 2011. In 2013, Chartres led the funeral service of Baroness Thatcher, with whom he had a close friendship.
Chartres oversaw the Church of England's relations with the Eastern Orthodox churches, representing the Church of England at the funeral of Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow of the Russian Orthodox Church and the enthronement of his successor, Kirill I, at Saint Basil's Cathedral.
As Bishop of London, Chartres chose not to ordain women as priests, and instead only ordained both women and men to the diaconate. This was to a concession to the large number of traditionalists in the Diocese of London, with Chartres saying in 2002 that he was "very much pro women priests".
On 19 July 2016, it was announced that Chartres was to retire as Bishop of London effective from Shrove Tuesday, 28 February 2017, but remain as Dean of the Chapels Royal until the next Bishop of London took post. He retired as dean following his 72nd birthday in July 2019, being succeeded by Dame Sarah Mullally.
