Watch: Royal Navy carrier HMS Prince of Wales returns to Portsmouth as loved ones gather to see her

HMS Prince of Wales sailed past The Round Tower in Old Portsmouth earlier this afternoon. Clusters of people gathered along the Hot Walls to watch the 65,000 tonne vessel in the Autumn sunshine.

Loved ones waved to personnel on board, with others sitting along the Hot Walls and watching her go past. Military police kept observation of the carrier while she was escorted towards the harbour.

A yellow weather warning for thunderstorms, issued by the Met Office earlier this week, failed to materialise and the carrier sailed towards HMNB Portsmouth in calm sea conditions and summerlike sunshine. Some personnel aboard the £3.2bn carrier were seen waving to well-wishers on The Round Tower.

The ship’s company were completing Operational Sea Training over the past couple of weeks. This involved the ship’s company conducting drills replicating “peacetime emergencies at sea” - fighting mock fires and other incidents. Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey helicopters, operated by American pilots, touched down on the flight deck during flying missions.

Aircraft personnel from 815 Naval Air Squadron conducted night-flying exercises, using the HMS Prince of Wales flightdeck as a base of operations. Similar exercises were carried out by flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth, with the personnel of both carriers gearing up for future deployments.