The Royal Navy is allowing officers to wear saris in a diversity move (Image: Getty Images)
The Royal Navy is allowing officers to wear saris to make formal dress code more inclusive.
Top brass in the Senior Service have been given the green light to wear “cultural dress” underneath mess jackets on formal occasions after lobbying by the service’s race diversity network.
But the move has been blasted by former senior officers who maintain “cultural identity” should not be “mixed with uniform”.
Previous rules for mess dress – formal evening wear worn by military officers and non-commissioned officers – previously required all officers to pair their uniform jackets with trousers or a tartan kilt or skirt. But they will now be able to celebrate their heritage by wearing items such as a sari alongside their jacket, shirt and bow tie.
Rear Admiral Philip Mathias, a retired nuclear submarine commanding officer, said: “I suspect this image will shock many members of the public given the diminished state of the Navy. Its entire focus should be on maintaining its war-fighting capability in an increasingly dangerous world.
“The whole point of uniform in a disciplined fighting service – even in a social setting – is to achieve a sense of common identity, not to accentuate differences.
“If members of the Armed Forces want to wear civilian clothing that represents their cultural identity, they should of course be encouraged to do so whenever possible. But it should not be mixed with uniform.”
Commissioned Royal Navy officers can hold a variety of ranks, including Admiral, Vice Admiral, Captain, Commander, Lieutenant, and Sub-Lieutenant.
King Charles earned his RAF wings in 1971 before embarking on a naval career in which he served on the guided-missile destroyer HMS Norfolk and frigates HMS Minerva and HMS Jupiter. He also qualified as a helicopter pilot at RNAS Yeovilton and subsequently joined 845 Naval Air Squadron, operating from HMS Hermes. He spent his last months of active service commanding the coastal minehunter HMS Bronington and was appointed colonel-in-chief of the Parachute Regiment in 1977.
During the Second World War his father Prince Philip, who died aged 99 in 2021, served aboard HMS Valiant in the Battle of the Mediterranean and the destroyer HMS Wallace during the Allied invasion of Sicily.
Charles served on the guided-missile destroyer HMS Norfolk and frigates HMS Minerva and HMS Jupiter (Image: Getty Images)
The diversity row is the latest to hit the Royal Navy which it was claimed last year could be forced to sell the HMS Prince of Wales over fears on defence spending, even suggesting it either be mothballed or sold off to a friendly nation at a knockdown price.
Sources said a decision could be forced upon commanders as soon as 2028 if defence finances do not improve.
They claimed the “nightmare scenario” of selling a carrier to save cash had been discussed by members of the Maritime Enterprise Planning Group, which looks at future considerations and strategies.
Lance Cpl Jack Kanani, the chairman of the race diversity network and a non-commissioned officer in the Royal Marines, said the updated dress code would be “inclusive of other British cultures”.
He added: “Existing policy already allowed for Scottish, Irish, Welsh, Cornish and Manx heritage to be represented through the wearing of kilts and tartan dresses. The update in policy now widens that to be inclusive of other British cultures that serve within the Royal Navy.”
A Royal Navy spokesman said: “Wearing cultural mess dress is an established tradition within the Royal Navy. We have extended this recently to include other types of cultural dress below the waist. We are proud to welcome people from a variety of backgrounds to attract and retain the best people available.”
The move comes as a political row erupts over public spending on so-called “woke non-jobs”.
A town hall audit last year revealed 750 employees are paid up to £28 million for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion roles.
The taxpayer-funded army ensures cash-strapped local authorities meet equality commitments as part of a drive towards political correctness.
Rupert Lowe, Reform UK business spokesman, said: “Diversity, inclusion and equality are woke buzzwords which need to be eradicated from the public sector. If private companies choose to waste their money on this nonsense that is their decision, but we must scrap these taxpayer-funded positions.”