Prince William pays moving tribute to his grandfather during trip to Royal Navy shipyard

The Duke of Cambridge visited a shipyard to meet the team building HMS Glasgow on the banks of the River Clyde and announced that the Duchess of Cambridge has become the sponsor of the Royal Navy frigate and will officially name her.

On arrival at the BAE Systems yard in Govan, Glasgow, the duke met a group of staff in the shadow of the towering City-class Type 26 frigate.

When told that the two halves had recently been welded together, William joked: ‘Who's responsible for the middle joining up?’

Impressed by the engineering challenge, he added: ‘It's a real feat to be able to sandwich these two together.’

The duke also took part in a steel cutting ceremony to mark the start of the work on HMS Belfast, another Type 26 frigate.

Before pressing a button to begin the underwater process, William told gathered staff and senior BAE Systems executives: ‘It is a real honour to see the navy's incredible new Type 26 ships under construction.

‘The scale of achievement is truly staggering, and all the staff I've met here today are rightly proud of what you are doing.

‘Proud not just because you are creating these cutting-edge ships, but because you are supporting the Royal Navy and the national security of the United Kingdom.’

He added: ‘My family's affection for the Royal Navy is well known, and, as I saw the work taking place here today, I was thinking of my grandfather, the Duke of Edinburgh. He would have been fascinated and excited to see such advances in skills and technology being put into practice.’

Philip served with the Royal Navy during the Second World War, had a long association with the service after leaving, and also had a passion for engineering.

The late Duke of Edinburgh died in April, aged 99.

HMS Glasgow is out of the construction sheds at Govan and is now awaiting to enter the water to undergo completion, with HMS Cardiff a couple of years behind her and more than 40 per cent finished.

When finished, the 8,000-tonne warships will act as the principal line of defence against submarines.

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