Soldier in Queen’s Guard makes homophobic bullying complaint
A member of the Queen’s Household Cavalry has made a formal complaint after suffering years of vicious homophobic bullying.
The soldier – who has asked not to be identified – serves in the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, which helps guard the royals and takes part in parades.
The Ministry of Defence confirmed that an investigation is underway into the complaint – but it is understood that the man’s accused colleague is still on duty, and denies any wrongdoing.
In a statement calling for his identity remaining to remain secret, the soldier told the Mail: “I want to get on with my career and keep my private life private.”
An Army spokesman said: “Any allegation of bullying is treated extremely seriously. Anyone found responsible can expect to be dealt with severely.”
The news comes the same day that the MoD announced changes to its monitoring process for new recruits, which will now ask soldiers to disclose their sexuality.
There is no record of the current number of gay troops serving in the military, which makes homophobia notoriously hard to track.
A spokesperson from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said: “The MoD proudly encourages diversity at all levels.
“Service personnel are now encouraged to declare their sexual orientation.
“Although this is not mandatory, collecting this data will give us a better understanding of the composition of our armed forces and help ensure our policies and practices fully support our personnel.”
