Donald Clifford Gray CBE was born in Manchester, England in 1930, the son of Henry Hackett Gray and the grandson of Richard Hackett, Father of the Chapel printer at the Manchester Guardian and President of the Typographical Association. Having trained for the priesthood at King's College London and St Boniface Missionary College, Warminster, he served as a priest in the Diocese of Manchester until becoming Rector of Liverpool in 1974. He was for several years an Honorary Chaplain to the Queen through his involvement with the Territorial Army In 1970 he was awarded the TD. He was later appointed to the Royal Household as a Chaplain to H M the Queen. In 1987 he was appointed Canon of Westminster and Speaker's Chaplain. His role within the Westminster Chapter was that of Rector of St Margaret's Church, Westminster Abbey. That role and that of Speaker's Chaplain have been practically, though not necessarily, combined for some years. He was awarded a PhD by the University of Manchester in 1984 and is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London, and of the Royal Historical Society.