One of Prince Philip’s pallbearers charged with sexual assault

In 2014, Major General Roddis was the commanding officer of the Highlanders, made up of soldiers from the 4th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland, the last Scottish battalion to serve in combat in Afghanistan.

The last time a major general was court-martialed was in 2021, when Major General Nick Welch was convicted of tuition fraud.

Welch, who left the military in 2018, was sentenced to 21 months in prison in March 2021 for fraud after falsely claiming more than £48,000 in pocket money to pay his children’s boarding school fees.

The Telegraph has asked Major General Roddis for comment.

An Army spokesman said: “We expect very high standards of conduct from all our personnel and take all allegations of misconduct extremely seriously.”

“Former Major General James Roddis will appear before Bulford Military Court Centre on 17 July 2024 charged with sexual assault under section 3 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

We will not comment further while the legal proceedings are ongoing.”