William on a mission to make women in military feel safe and respected

The Prince of Wales has revealed he has been working to make sure women in the military feel safe, respected and valued – but warned standards are not yet being met.

William, a future head of Armed Forces, has spoken for the first time about his secret drive to improve inclusivity for women in the defence forces.

Behind the scenes over the past year, the heir to the throne has been on a fact-finding mission, carrying out private and public meetings with servicewomen of all ranks from the Royal Navy, RAF and Army as a priority, to learn first hand about their experiences.

The front cover of Country Life Magazine (Andrew Parsons/Kensington Palace/Country Life magazine/PA)

William has heard how they faced inappropriate comments, rumours being spread if they turned down advances and intoxicated harassment in barracks, and he was told by one junior female about “women being used as commodities”.

As a result, the prince has held meetings with senior leaders across to the defence sector to discuss what is being done to address the concerns, and he is now exploring a longer-term initiative on the issue.

He personally commissioned an article on the challenges facing women in the forces in his role as guest editor for a special edition of Country Life magazine, which is being published on Wednesday, and is said to be deeply committed to improving the experiences of women serving across the Armed Forces.

In the piece, William, who trained at Sandhurst and later became an RAF search and rescue pilot, said: “We need to ensure our military culture is more inclusive of women.

“I want to play my part in making the military feel like the welcoming, open and professional place I enjoyed and make it feel like that for everyone.

“At the moment, I don’t feel that we meet those standards and, as a former serving officer, I really mind it when those who wear the uniform now don’t feel safe, respected or valued.”

The Prince of Wales during the Remembrance Sunday service in Whitehall (Aaron Chown/PA)

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The article described the meetings the prince conducted with servicewomen over the past year.

“Servicewomen have told him about inappropriate comments, rumours being spread about those who turn down advances, late-night intoxicated harassment in barracks and, most worryingly, from one junior female, about women being used as commodities,” it said.

The piece began with a reference to Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck, who took her own life at Larkhill Camp in Wiltshire in 2021.

Gunner Beck had been subjected to months of unwanted attention and had reported a sexual assault.

An inquest into the 19-year-old’s death found the Army’s failure to take appropriate action “more than minimally” contributed to her death.

Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, chief of the defence staff, told Country Life: “We recognise there is more to do to ensure every woman can serve, succeed and progress in an environment where they are respected and valued.

“We know the experience of women in our Armed Forces has not always been what it should be.

“Where behaviours and attitudes have fallen short of the standards we expect, we must be honest about that and continue to drive change.”