HMS Prince of Wales returns to Portsmouth after repairs

The £3bn warship was towed back into Portsmouth and will resume active operations in the autumn

Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales has returned to its home port after nine months of repair work.

Families, friends and well-wishers welcomed the £3bn warship as it sailed into Portsmouth on Friday.

In August 2022, the vessel suffered a broken propeller shaft just a few miles into a diplomatic mission to the US.

The 65,000 tonne carrier had been taken to the Babcock shipyard where it was built in Rosyth, Scotland, and began its journey back on 21 July.

Well-wishers lined the harbour walls as the warship returned to its home port

The warship, which has a crew of 750, is expected to return to service by the autumn and will take over from HMS Queen Elizabeth as the nation's flagship towards the end of 2024.

Commanding officer Capt Richard Hewitt said the Prince of Wales was "the most advanced warship ever built for the Royal Navy".

"This year, we will be operating F-35s, V-22 Ospreys, drones and the RN Merlin helicopters - pushing the boundaries of naval aviation and UK carrier strike capability as we progress towards a global deployment in 2025," he said.

"My sailors have worked hard to get us back to sea and ready to deploy this autumn.

"Now back in Portsmouth we will take some leave with families and friends and then we go."