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King Charles strips honours from five people including former Navy chief

Summarised from 4 outlets · Updated 8 Oct, 05:13 · Archive

King Charles has stripped honours from five people in October 2026, including former Royal Navy head Admiral Ben Key.

King Charles has stripped honours from five people this month, with the latest forfeitures revealed by the Cabinet Office's published register. The most prominent case is Admiral Ben Key, the former head of the Royal Navy, who lost his knighthood and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) honour in October 2026.

Key is a highly decorated naval officer who commanded several ships and served in Kosovo and Iraq. He was appointed Fleet Commander in 2016 and Chief of Joint Operations in 2019. He received a CBE in the 2016 New Year Honours and a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in 2021.

Both honours were annulled following an investigation into his conduct. In May 2026, Key had attempted to resign for personal reasons, but his resignation was rejected pending an investigation into a personal relationship with a subordinate. He was subsequently dismissed from the Royal Navy in June 2026. The Ministry of Defence stated that he had fallen 'far short of the values and standards expected'. The BBC reported that Key had breached the military's code of conduct by having an affair with a junior female officer.

A Royal Navy spokesperson said the service 'holds its personnel to the highest standards of conduct'. The forfeitures are tracked in the Cabinet Office's register, which has recorded cases from August 2023 onwards. Since coming to the throne, King Charles has now stripped a total of 48 individuals of their honours.

King Charles strips honours from five people including former Navy chief
Image: This Is Wiltshire

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In this story: King Charles · Ben Key · Royal Navy · Cabinet Office · Ministry of Defence

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