HMS Prince of Wales will assume the role of the UK’s flagship next week during her visit to Liverpool, taking over from her sister ship, HMS Queen Elizabeth.
This marks a significant milestone in her five-year Royal Navy career as she prepares for the upcoming UK Carrier Strike Group 2025 deployment, which will see her operate east of the Suez Canal on a global mission.
Britain’s two Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers will alternate the flagship title, ensuring one is always ready for priority operations while the other undergoes maintenance.
HMS Prince of Wales will officially take over as flagship at 10am on Monday, 2nd December, in Liverpool. While no formal ceremony marks the change, the two carriers recently sailed with each other in UK waters as part of their respective operational preparations.
Captain Will Blackett, Commanding Officer of HMS Prince of Wales, expressed his pride in the ship’s new status, saying:
“This is a proud moment for HMS Prince of Wales. We’ve been training hard, ably assisted by our sister ship HMS Queen Elizabeth. We’re ready, we’re excited, and look forward to taking the next step in the ship’s life.”
Captain Will King, Commanding Officer of HMS Queen Elizabeth, congratulated the crew of HMS Prince of Wales, stating:
“Every sailor in HMS Queen Elizabeth knows the pride that comes from serving in the RN Flagship. I wish HMS Prince of Wales every success taking on the title – they will do a fantastic job. As her sister-ship, we stand ready to support her in every way.”
HMS Prince of Wales has recently completed rigorous preparations for her role in next year’s global deployment. This included participation in Exercise Strike Warrior, held in the North Sea, where she embarked F-35B Lightning jets from 809 Naval Air Squadron for the first time. The exercise tested the carrier strike group across a variety of operational scenarios, including live ordnance exercises at Cape Wrath.
Since departing Portsmouth last month, the Royal Navy say that HMS Prince of Wales has sailed 1,500 nautical miles and conducted 71 sorties, accumulating 210 flying hours. The training scenarios included live bomb drops using Paveway munitions and coordination with allied forces, showcasing the integrated capabilities of the UK Carrier Strike Group.
This week, the carrier has been in Glenmallan, Scotland, replenishing ammunition in preparation for her upcoming mission. She is now en route to Liverpool for a seven-day visit, offering her 800-strong crew the opportunity to engage with local schools, civic leaders, and community initiatives, while also giving the public a chance to learn more about life aboard the Portsmouth-based warship.
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Be a better photo if they had some planes on deck or do we not have enough yet?
Don’t start up setting the posters 😏
Yep, it’s sad to see an aircraft carrier carrying nothing on the flight deck!
Grow up
Sailing two side by side suggests that there are now sufficient crew available for a crew change if required if one carrier is away from home for a long time.
Or one operating as an aircraft carrier and one as a large command ship for other operations.
Won’t this simultaneous use wear them out? We were meant to have a “one on, one off” policy. Feeling a bit wary about their deployments at the moment.
Will will take over from Will…