First Sea Lord's ‘affair' exposed after husband filed complaint
Last month, Sir Ben Key was forced to step back from all duties over allegations of misconduct, which are under investigation by the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
It was alleged that, in breach of the Navy's service standards, the 59-year-old was having an affair with a junior ranking staff member.
It is understood that the non-serving husband of the female member of staff reported his findings to the Ministry of Defence after he discovered the 'consensual' relationship between Sir Ben and his wife.
He felt as though the head of the Navy should be held to the same standards as those below him as Sir Ben has regularly spoken out about poor behaviour of those under his command in the past.
A source familiar with the events told The Telegraph: 'The husband was upset, because this is a man who prides himself on his Christian values and how he was raised by missionaries – but was doing this with someone else's wife.'
'Tried to go away quietly'
Sir Ben, who is married with three children, had previously announced that he would retire as First Sea Lord this summer, despite being considered a frontrunner to become the next Chief of the Defence Staff.
Earlier this week, The Telegraph reported that Air Marshal Sir Richard Knight, currently Chief of the Air Staff, will take over the post in the autumn when Admiral Sir Tony Radakin stands down.
It is understood Sir Ben tried to go away 'quietly' when he learnt that his extra-marital affair had been discovered, but that the Chief of the Defence Staff insisted there would be an investigation before his official retirement in order not to be accused of a 'cover-up'.
The source added that a number of female officers within the Navy felt they deserved a public apology from Sir Ben over what they deemed to be 'double standards'.
'The female naval workforce feel shockingly let down by his moral high stance and hypocrisy,' the source said.
'Judged for their professional conduct'
Earlier this year, during a parliamentary defence select committee discussing women in the Armed Forces, Sir Ben expressed his disapproval of inappropriate relationships within the military.
He said: '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.'
As a serving member of the military, Sir Ben will probably have fallen foul of the Navy's 'service test', which prohibits relationships between commanders and their subordinates. The military also does not allow behaviour that could harm another serving member's marriage.
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