Royal Navy's 'breathtaking' new aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales stuns royal family
HMS Prince of Wales officially joined the fleet during a ceremony inside her hangar, attended by the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall.
To celebrate the commissioning of the ship, Charles has also been given a new title by the navy of Commodore-in-Chief, Aircraft Carriers.
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Hide AdThe warship is the second of two enormous aircraft carriers, the biggest ever built for the Senior Service, to have been commissioned into the navy.
It was a moment the warship’s sponsor, the Duchess of Cornwall, said was the ‘beginning of an exciting new era in our long naval history’.
Addressing a crowd of about 3,000 at Portsmouth Naval Base, the duchess said the carrier joined a navy which has ‘protected this nation's shores, and its interests across the globe, for over five centuries’.
She added: ‘The sheer scale and size of HMS Prince of Wales is simply breathtaking.
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Hide Ad‘Just to give you a comparison, Clarence House would fit nearly 25 times onto the flight deck.
‘May I say how pleased I am that this great ship shares my husband's name.
‘And now, as Honorary Commodore-in-Chief, Aircraft Carriers, I am delighted that he will have an even stronger link to this ship and her sister.’
Flown into Portsmouth by helicopter, the royals were escorted onto the ship by its commanding officer, Captain Darren Houston.
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Hide AdInside the pair were given a royal salute by a guard of honour made up of some of the ship’s 700-strong crew, who have been preparing for 10 weeks for the ceremony.
Among the royal guard was Survival Equipment Technician Emily Gover, who was spending her last day on the ship after being selected for promotion.
The 21-year-old sailor said meeting the royal couple was an unforgettable moment and added: ‘It was my first time meeting any of the royal family. It was very exciting. The duchess was really friendly. I didn’t know what to say at first. But she was so lovely.’
Petty Officer Airman (aircraft handler) Mikaele Mua, 39, was introduced to the royal couple alongside his 11-year-old son, Brandon.
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Hide Ad‘Today has been a dream come true for everyone of the ship’s company to see where the ship was nine months ago to where it is today,’ he said.
Brandon added: ‘It felt weird meeting royalty. They seemed like such normal people. I was a little starstruck but they were really friendly.’
The carrier, which is taller than Nelson's Column and has a flight deck the size of three football pitches, will have at least 700 people serving on board and the capacity to hold around 1,600 personnel.
It will also be able to carry 36 jets and four helicopters, as well as enough food to last 45 days.
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Hide AdThe duchess said HMS Prince of Wales, along with her sister ship. HMS Queen Elizabeth, are ‘the largest and most advanced ships ever to fly the White Ensign’.
She added: ‘We remember, with great sorrow, the loss of the battleship HMS Prince of Wales and so many of her ship's company off the eastern coast of Malaya on this day in 1941.
‘Seventy-eight years on, we now stand proudly before her successor.’
The aircraft carrier is the eighth to bear the name HMS Prince of Wales. Next year she will deploy to Florida to conduct flight trials with the F-35.
It is expected that she will head on her first operational deployment a few years later, in 2023.
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