Married head of Royal Navy Sir Ben Key fired after affair with junior officer

The head of the British Royal Navy, formerly First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Ben Key has been fired and had his commission removed after he had an affairwith a junior female officer.

Married father-of-three Key, 59, loses his rank of Admiral but will keep his lucrative pensionafter the woman’s husband reported his affair to officials at the Ministry of Defence. Service rules state that sexual relations between commanders and people below thier rank are barred - as is endangering the marriage of a comrade. MoD officials insisted on an investigation into the scandal after it was exposed. Last night Sir Key, who met King Charles in 2022, said in a statement: “I deeply regret my conduct in the spring of last year which fell well below the standard I set for myself and that which I set for the Royal Navy.

“As such I fully accept the decision of the Defence Council. I am very sorry to those I have hurt personally and I apologise to everyone who serves with the Royal Navy.

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“Serving as First Sea Lord has been one of the greatest privileges of my life and I pay tribute to the dedicated officers, sailors, Royal Marines and civil servants who make up the Royal Navy .” In the past his wife Elly has told of the 'burden' being in the Navy can place on family members.

Following a full investigation, Admiral Sir Ben Key’s behaviour has been found to have fallen far short of values and standards expected of Service Personnel. This has resulted in termination of service and his commission. It is believed to be the first time in the 500-year history of the Navy that its First Sea Lord has come under such scrutiny.

Sources said he had attempted to retire 'quietly' once the affair was exposed, but General Dame Sharon Nesmith, the Vice Chief of the Defence Staff, and John Healey, the Defence Secretary, insisted on an investigation. Chief of Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said:

“We expect the highest standards of behaviour from our Service Personnel and our Civil Servants. We investigate all allegations of inappropriate behaviour and will take robust action against anyone found to have fallen short of our standards, regardless of their seniority.”

It is not believed that the husband of the woman he was caught having an affair with is serving in the military. Earlier this year Sir Ben appeared in Parliament, giving evidence on the treatment of women in the armed forces and commented on 'unwelcome sexual behaviours.’

He told the defence select committee: 'We are absolutely determined to create a Royal Navy in which people are judged for their professional conduct, welcomed for the contribution that they make, and accepted for who they are. Behaviours that run counter to that will not be accepted, and particularly those around unwelcome sexual behaviours.”

'We have removed people from the service, including those who have commanded, where we have discovered that their behaviours were not appropriate, or we have removed people from positions of responsibility before situations have got out of hand.”

Key was reportedly suspended from his role as first sea lord in May over claims he had an affair with a female subordinate.