Olympic and Paralympic heroes meet Royal Navy sailors on HMS Prince of Wales

Superstars from the two summer games in Tokyo were given a special look inside aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales in Portsmouth.

The trip was organised by the Royal Navy and offered a chance for the Senior Service to thank the elite sports personalities for their efforts – as well as show how sailors keep fit on the 65,000-tonne warship.

Among the stars invited to the special event at Portsmouth Naval Base was the city’s own Paralympic gold medallist Lauren Steadman.

The 28-year-old was full of praise for the navy, which during the lockdown gave her exclusive access to its sports centre at HMS Temeraire in Portsmouth to help with her training.

Triathlete Lauren, who trains in the city, said she was thrilled to be on board.

‘As soon as I got the invitation, I replied within about 30 seconds – I was super excited,’ said Lauren, who was carrying her gold medal from the Tokyo games.

‘Being in Portsmouth and having stood on the promenade for so many years watching the ships go in and out, waving at everybody, to finally come on board one of them – I felt really honoured.’

She added: ‘I think in another lifetime, I would have wanted a job in the military.’

About 30 VIPs were invited to the reception, which included a lunch with the ship’s captain.

Among the guests was Portchester BMX Olympic bronze medallist, Declan Brooks.

The 25-year-old former Cams Hill School pupil was stunned by the reception. He said: ‘It’s an absolute privilege to be here.

‘Never would I have expected to get an invite to a place like this. The size of the ship is just insane.’

As well as stars from Portsmouth, athletes from Prince of Wales’s two affiliated cities, Bristol and Liverpool, Scotland – where the ship was assembled – and those who were part of the GB&NI sailing team were invited to the event.

Members of the Royal Navy’s own sporting community were also invited to join the action, with some of them showing off their skills with weightlifting, cycling and rowing inside the vessel’s hangar.

Petty Officer Wesley McGuinness revelled in the chance to meet some sporting heroes.

The 32-year-old had just returned from the International Powerlifting Federation World Bench Press Championships in Lithuania on Monday, after being hailed the 7th strongest man in the world in his weight category.

Speaking of the event on Prince of Wales, he said: ‘This is a very proud moment. You’ve got rowers here today, you’ve got weightlifters, all exchanging stories and talking to people about how they approach sport and keep disciplined.

‘I would like to think that the ship’s company has come away today with some confidence and experience, with the attitude to get themselves on the platform.’

Surgeon Lieutenant Commander (Dental) Francesca Warwick, 33, also had the chance to meet the sporting heroes and said: ‘It’s been absolutely fantastic. I spent pretty much the entirety of my summer leave watching the Olympics.

‘I definitely used my summer leave well. And to see them all in real life and welcome them onto HMS Prince of Wales has been really enjoyable.’

Surg Lt Cdr Warwick added the crew had really bonded with the sporting heroes.

‘There been a real enthusiasm amongst the ship’s company to meet professional athletes and see how they structure their day because actually I think there are quite a few similarities between our two lines of work – self discipline and time spent away from home,’ she said.’ We all on board rely on sport and phys to keep up morale.’

Paralympic cycling golden couple Neil Fachie and his wife Lora said it had been an honour to meet the sailors on HMS Prince of Wales.

Neil said: ‘This was one of those invites you get that you instantly reply to. It’s a massive honour to just be invited. When you get here and see the size of the ship and magnitude of it - it’s just mind-blowing… I’m very excited.’

To top off the day, the VIPs were given a guided tour of parts of the ship and spent time on the carrier’s flight deck.

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A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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