Royal Navy: HMS Prince of Wales update as warship remains in Portsmouth with scaffolding on flight deck

The £3.2bn aircraft carrier made a triumphant return to her home port in March after leading a UK Carrier Strike Group on Nato’s Exercise Steadfast Defender. In what was the largest Nato operation since The Cold War, the warship was involved with different operations with allies off the coast of Norway.

Crowds of people gathered at The Round Tower in Old Portsmouth to welcome HMS Prince of Wales home. Since then, the 65,000 tonne warship has been in the harbour during a maintenance period.

Residents have seen scaffolding on the flight deck as personnel carry out their work. A force spokeswoman said: “The Royal Navy continues to fulfil all its commitments. The fleet’s programme remains flexible, undergoing periods of maintenance is routine and vital for a ship’s continued reliability.”

HMS Prince of Wales will be deployed to the Indo-Pacific in 2025 for military exercises. She will lead a UK Carrier Strike Group and link up with several UK allies including Japan and the USA.

Defence secretary Grant Shapps previously said the deployment will send a “strong message to anyone who would seek to undermine the rules-based international order”. He added the world is “volatile” and peace should not be taken for granted.