King visits flagship off the Cornish coast ahead of major deployment
It is the first time in nearly 40 years a reigning monarch has visited a Royal Navy warship at sea
Last updated 4th Mar 2025
The King has visited the Royal Navy's flagship off the coast of Cornwall, as it prepares for a major deployment to the other side of the world.
Charles flew to HMS Prince of Wales in the English Channel, where he spoke to sailors and was shown around the 65,000-tonne ship.
He also watched as F-35B fighter jets carried out landing exercises on the deck of the Portsmouth-based carrier.
His Royal Highness told personnel gathered in the hangar: “As you prepare to set sail as the flagship of the UK Carrier Strike Group, building on the success of HMS Queen Elizabeth’s inaugural deployment in 2021, I just wanted to express, on behalf of the nation, my heartfelt gratitude for the extraordinarily valuable contributions and personal sacrifices that you and your families continue to make in the name of duty.
“I can sense the anticipation and excitement amongst many of you today for what lies ahead over the next eight months and all I can say is I will be watching your progress with great interest.”
The royal visit came during the closing stages of crew's intensive training before setting sail to Japan on a mission to deepen the UK's defence partnerships and promote security and stability.
It is the first time in nearly 40 years that a reigning monarch has visited a Royal Navy warship at sea.
Chief Physical Training Instructor (PTI) Adrian Barker was among the sailors to meet His Majesty.
He said: “It was nice to speak to him about deck hockey and tug of war, he obviously has fond memories of working with PTIs in the past. It was not what I expected, and really warming and easy to talk to.”
Able Seaman Marc Rutherford met the King on the bridge and said: “It was the proudest day of my life since joining the Royal Navy, I’m still in shock, he was funny and I was surprised he would support a team like Burnley – Newcastle would be much better.”
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office announced in December that the flagship will head the carrier strike group to the Indo-Pacific during which it will become the first of the two Queen Elizabeth class carriers to visit Australia.
The £3 billion warship will also take part in Exercise Talisman Sabre, a multinational exercise hosted by Australia involving 19 nations.
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