Sailor's sex charge on Navy 'party boat' casts shadow on drugs mission of Prince William

But the royal recruit could find the atmosphere on HMS Iron Duke, once described as a ‘party boat’, a little more sombre than expected.

One of the crew has been thrown in jail on a charge of indecent assault while on shore leave in Barbados.

Shipmates: Petty Officer Steven Wilson under arrest, left, while Prince William will join his crew, which hunts drug smugglers in the Caribbean, within days

Petty Officer Steven Wilson, 31, is due in court today, accused of slapping and fondling a married woman’s bottom at a ‘rowdy’ crew outing to watch a cricket match between Australia and the West Indies in the capital, Bridgetown.

Senior officers are said to be furious at the attention the incident has brought on the Navy days before William, who turned 26 on Saturday, joins HMS Iron Duke for a twomonth detachment hunting drug runners in the Caribbean.

Petty Officer Wilson was arrested at about 5pm on Friday after the civilian woman complained to police.

After a night behind bars, he was led into court on Saturday wearing his white naval uniform.

He was not asked to enter a plea and was freed into the custody of the Royal Navy on £1,275 bail.

Wills's new home: HMS Iron Duke has a reputation for working and playing hard

He was ordered to stay in Bridgetown Port and reappear in court today, 24 hours before the Iron Duke is due to sail from Barbados.

The crew of HMS Iron Duke have a reputation for working and playing hard.

This is not the first time they have attracted unwelcome publicity. In 2006, five Iron Duke sailors went on a drunken rampage in St Mary’s in the Isles of Scilly after a World Cup match.

Just 24 hours before Petty Officer Wilson’s arrest, local journalists were given a tour of the Iron Duke and briefed about the work William would carry out when he joins the Type 23 frigate in the latest stage of a military career that has seen him deployed in all three armed services.

With four fellow ‘rookies’, William will work alongside officers from the U.S.

Drug Enforcement Administration. Along with 185 shipmates on the 4,900-ton warship, he will track and board vessels suspected of trafficking cocaine from South and Central America.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said last night: ‘We can confirm that there has been an incident involving a member of HMS Iron Duke’s ship’s company in Barbados.’