The Prince of Wales has called for Britain's military culture to be "more inclusive of women" and has committed to "play my part" in making the Armed Forces a safe, respected and valued place for all who serve. Speaking in the latest edition of Country Life, which he has guest edited, William publicly pledged for the first time to help drive meaningful change on some of the issues affecting women serving in the military.
Prince's personal commitment
In a piece he personally commissioned for the magazine, the prince 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."
Over the past year, the future King has held public and private meetings with servicewomen of all ranks from the Royal Navy, Army, and Royal Air Force, hearing first-hand about their roles, the challenges they face, and what more can be done to ensure they feel safe, respected and valued throughout their careers. Treating the conversations as a fact-finding mission, William held meetings with senior leaders across the defence sector to discuss efforts to address concerns.
Military background
The Prince completed seven-and-a-half years of full-time military service. He was commissioned as a British Army officer in December 2006 and later undertook attachments to the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy. An interest in flying led William to train as a search-and-rescue pilot in 2009, and he served for three years in this role at RAF Valley in Anglesey.
Magazine feature and wider reckoning
The magazine, out tomorrow (WEDS), dedicates five pages to the issue, outlining harrowing stories of exclusion, discrimination, bullying, harassment and abuse of women in the military. This includes details about 19-year-old Gunner Jasyley Beck, who died by suicide after being sexually assaulted by a sergeant major. Although she reported the incident, an inquest into her death heard the Army's handling of the complaint had played "more than a minimal contributory part into her death".
Ms Beck's death spurred a wider reckoning within Britain's Armed Forces and led to Operation Teamwork that aims to end the culture that leads to such appalling behaviour. The article also discusses how a lot of the kit is designed for an average 70kg Caucasian male, so some uniforms fit poorly on women. But there is a willingness from the top to improve the situation, with Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, Chief of the Defence Staff, saying: "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."
