An affair involving the suspended head of the Royal Navy and a junior female officer was exposed by her husband, sources have revealed.
Admiral Sir Ben Key, 59, was told to ‘step back from all duties’ last month over claims the married father of three had an affair with a female officer.
At the time, allies of the former First Sea Lord claimed the allegation was part of a ‘dirty tricks campaign’ against Sir Ben following months of fierce in-fighting at the top of the Armed Forces.
But now it has emerged the ‘consensual’ relationship came to light after the officer’s non-serving husband filed a complaint with the Ministry of Defence (MoD), The Telegraph reported.
It is understood the husband believed Sir Ben should be held accountable to the same standards as those beneath him.
He stands accused of breaching regulations barring sexual relations between commanders and those below them in rank, while endangering the marriage of a comrade is also forbidden.
A source said: ‘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.’
Sir Ben, who was formerly in the running to become the next Chief of the Defence Staff, now faces a misconduct probe.
It is the first time in the 500-year history of the Navy that its First Sea Lord has come under such scrutiny.
Insiders understand that 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.
Many female officers particularly are understood to have felt ‘let down’ by Sir Ben’s double standards.
The source said: ‘The female naval workforce feels shockingly let down by his moral high stance and hypocrisy.’
In March, Sir Ben appeared in Parliament to provide oral 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.’
Those close to Sir Ben previously told MoS that they were ‘shocked’ by the news of an affair.
A senior Navy source said: ‘Across the board he is very popular, very competent and the majority of the naval service are extremely shocked and really sad to see it potentially end like this.’
Another insider added: ‘He is a stand-up bloke and treats everyone well.’
His wife Elly has previously told of the ‘burden’ being in the Navy can place on family members.
Last week Sir Gwyn Jenkins became the first Royal Marine to be appointed as head of the service.
An MoD spokesman said it would be inappropriate to comment while the investigation into the matter continues.