Prince William warns more must be done for women in military to feel safe

Prince William warns more must be done for women in military to feel safe Prince William has spoken for the first time about his secret drive to make sure that servicewomen feel respected and valued while serving in the military Prince William has warned that standards are not yet being met when it comes to making women in the military feel safe. The Prince of Wales has revealed he has been working to making women who serve feel respected and valued - and has spoken for the first time about his secret drive to improve inclusivity. Behind the scenes, the heir to the throne and future head of the Armed Forces has been 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 Prince has heard that women faced inappropriate comments, rumours being spread if they turned down advances and intoxicated harassment in barracks. He was told by one junior female about “women being used as commodities”. William has now held meetings with senior defence leaders to discuss how these concerns can be addressed and is now exploring a longer-term initiative on the issue. The prince has also personally commissioned an article on the challenges facing women in the forces in his role as guest editor of a special edition of Country Life magazine, which is being published on Wednesday. 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 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.”