WATCH: Royal Navy flagship HMS Prince of Wales makes glorious return home to Portsmouth from Liverpool

Crowds have gathered at The Round Tower in Old Portsmouth and along the Hot Walls to watch the huge aircraft carrier sail to HMNB Portsmouth this morning (December 11). Live drone footage shows the warship making her early morning return home. The 65,000 tonne warship spent over a week on Merseyside in what was a memorable period for the ship’s company.

They received the Freedom of the City of Liverpool and marched through the city as part of a parade. Members of the public were invited on board to see what life is like living on the £3.2bn carrier, with groups of school children being awed by her presence.

Some of the proceedings were disrupted by Storm Darragh - one of the public viewings postponed - but this did little to dampen the spirits of the sailors and the general public. Commanding Officer Captain Will Blackett previously said: “Most of what we do is over the horizon, not in the public eye, so this is a rare moment in our jobs to show the public exactly what we can do.

“For my ship’s company this is also a reward for 11 months of really hard work and richly deserved. Liverpool’s relationship with the Royal Navy is deep rooted and it is an absolute privilege for us all to be part of the next chapter. Liverpool has been an incredible host. We have never felt so welcome. We will proudly take the history, culture and spirit of Liverpool with us to the furthest corners of the globe. The Prince of Wales is your ship.”

Thoughts have now turned towards the Spring of 2025, with HMS Prince of Wales due to take charge of a UK Carrier Strike Group during a deployment to Japan and the Indo-Pacific region. Sailors will be preparing for the many trials and exercises taking place next year. Scroll up to the top of this article to watch drone footage of the flagship’s return.