The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, is planning to quit next year, almost a decade before he officially has to retire, the Sunday Telegraph reported.

The 61-year-old leader of the worldwide Anglican church plans to pursue a life in academia, the newspaper said, after a turbulent decade mired by rows over homosexual clergy and female bishops.

It said Williams would leave after the Diamond Jubilee celebrations marking Queen Elizabeth II's 60 years on the throne in June 2012.

A spokeswoman for Lambeth Palace, the archbishop's office, refused to confirm or deny the report, telling AFP: "We would never comment on a matter like this."

AFP