Watch: King Charles III jokes with the crew during HMS Prince of Wales visit ahead of major deployment
King Charles III flew to the Royal Navy flagship in the English Channel, where he spoke to sailors and was shown around the 65,000-tonne ship. He also watched as F-35B fighter jets carried out landing exercises on the deck of the Portsmouth-based aircraft carrier.
The King was visiting in his role as the Honorary Commodore-in-Chief Aircraft Carriers – marking the first time in nearly 40 years that a reigning monarch has visited a Royal Navy warship at sea. His trip came during the closing stages of crew’s intensive training before setting sail for Japan on a mission to deepen the UK’s defence partnerships and promote security and stability.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdHe told told personnel gathered in the hangar: “As you prepare to set sail as the flagship of the UK Carrier Strike Group, building on the success of HMS Queen Elizabeth’s inaugural deployment in 2021, I just wanted to express, on behalf of the nation, my heartfelt gratitude for the extraordinarily valuable contributions and personal sacrifices that you and your families continue to make in the name of duty.
“I can sense the anticipation and excitement amongst many of you today for what lies ahead over the next eight months and all I can say is I will be watching your progress with great interest.”
Watch the video embedded in this story to see his visit
Able Seaman Marc Rutherford, who met the King on the ship’s bridge, said: “It was the proudest day of my life since joining the Royal Navy, I’m still in shock, he was funny and I was surprised he would support a team like Burnley – Newcastle would be much better.”
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office announced in December that the flagship will head the carrier strike group to the Indo-Pacific during which it will become the first of the two Queen Elizabeth class carriers to visit Australia.
The £3.2bn warship will also take part in Exercise Talisman Sabre, a multinational exercise hosted by Australia involving 19 nations.
Comment Guidelines
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.