Neary was born in London in 1940 and was a chorister of the Chapel Royal at St James's Palace from age eight, singing at the christening of Charles III in 1948 and the coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953.
[5] In addition to extending the traditional choral repertoire at Winchester, Neary commissioned new works from Jonathan Harvey and, in particular, John Tavener.
In the 1998 New Year Honours, he was appointed a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO) "for services in connection with the funeral of the late Diana, Princess of Wales.
"[6] In accordance with Neary's promotion of the music of John Tavener, the latter's "Song for Athene" was performed by the choir of the Abbey as the coffin was borne out by the pallbearers.
After a 12-day hearing, Lord Jauncey determined that the decision to dismiss the organist and his wife "must score gamma minus on the scale of natural justice",[8] though upheld the previous verdict.