BRITAIN’S future flagship, HMS Queen Elizabeth, is braced to get a new captain after her last commanding officer was promoted.

Commodore Steve Moorhouse – who is the only man to have captained both of the Royal Navy’s two supercarriers – has been promoted to the commander of the UK carrier strike group.

He has taken over from Rear Admiral Mike Utley, who now the commander of the UK strike force.

Cdre Moorhouse said it was a ‘privilege’ to take on his new role, which will see him commanding Britain’s future carrier strike group – made up of an aircraft carrier, frigates, destroyers and other support ships.

The Royal Navy has not yet announced who will be the next captain of Queen Elizabeth, which returned to Portsmouth last month after her second trip to America.

However, on Twitter, Cdre Moorhouse dropped a hint to when that could happen: ‘That’s next week’s tweet. I still have the comfy chair for a few more days.’

HMS Queen Elizabeth is due to return to sea for the final set of tests of the F-35 stealth jet, which are earmarked to take place in British waters later this year.

Her first operational deployment will take place at some point next year.