Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales set for visit from Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall

Duchess Camilla will be met by the Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire, Nigel Atkinson, and Captain Stephen Higham, Commanding Officer of HMS Prince of Wales.

Her Royal Highness will meet with groups from various departments of the £6bn ship and present a small number of non-operational medals including Long Service and Good Conduct Medals.

A spokesman for the Duchess said: ‘The Duchess of Cornwall will be invited up to the Captain’s observation bridge where Captain Higham will provide Her Royal Highness with an update on the Ship’s activities including its recent activities training with allies from Nato and the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force in the Arctic.

‘On the way to the bridge, The Duchess will have an opportunity to stop by the bridge mess and meet with members of the Ship’s catering

team.

‘On the bridge, Her Royal Highness will meet with Warfare Officers and Non- Commissioned Officers responsible for controlling the Ship.’

HMS Prince of Wales returned to Portsmouth on April 20 after more than five weeks in the Arctic Circle, travelling to the frozen north part of an extensive training exercise – the warship’s first time tasked with leading a major Nato exercise.

The training programme brought together more than 30,000 personnel from 26 nations in order to prepare for combat in Arctic conditions.

The Duchess’s visit today comes two days after HRH the Prince of Wales, Prince Charles, opened parliament on behalf of the Queen – the first time in almost 60 years that the monarch has not been present for the ceremony.

Meanwhile HMS Queen Elizabeth, the Royal Navy’s flagship and the sister ship to HMS Prince of Wales, is currently undertaking a series of trials and exercises at sea.

In December 2019, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall attended the official Commissioning Ceremony of the HMS Prince of Wales at the naval base in Portsmouth.