Royal Navy Aircraft Carrier HMS Prince of Wales (R09)
(USN Photo)
HMS Prince of Wales (R09)in the Western Atlantic, 11 Oct 2023.
HMS Prince of Wales (R09) is the second Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier and the Fleet Flagship of the Royal Navy currently under the command of Captain Will Blackett since 2024. Prince of Wales is not fitted with catapults and arrestor wires, and is instead designed to operate STOVL aircraft; the ship is currently planned to carry up to 48 Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II stealth multirole fighters and Merlin helicopters for airborne early warning and anti-submarine warfare, although in surge conditions the class is capable of supporting 70+ F-35B. The design emphasises flexibility, with accommodation for 250 Royal Marines and the ability to support them with attack helicopters and troop transports up to and larger than Chinook size.
The completed Prince of Wales began sea trials in September 2019 and first arrived at her new home base of HMNB Portsmouth in November 2019. The ship was formally commissioned into the Royal Navy at a ceremony in Portsmouth on 10 December 2019. The ship’s commissioning date marked the 78th anniversary of the sinking of her predecessor, a World War II era battleship which was lost in action along with HMS Repulse in 1941. She is the eighth Royal Navy ship to have the name HMS Prince of Wales. Construction of the ship began in 2011 at Rosyth Dockyard and ended with launch on 21 December 2017. She was handed over to the Royal Navy in 2019. When on operations, Prince of Wales has formed a central part of a UK Carrier Strike Group, comprising escorts and support ships, with the aim to facilitate carrier-enabled power projection. (Wikipedia)
(UK MOD Photo)
ESPS Méndez Núñez (Álvaro de Bazán-class frigate of the Spanish Navy) , HMS Prince of Wales (R09) and HMS Richmond during the Red Sea transit.HMS Dauntless with the Carrier Strike Group transits through the Red Sea, 31 May 2025.
(MOD Photo)
RN Lockheed Martin F-35B Lighting II, 29 June 2016. The two ships of the Queen Elizabeth class are capable of carrying forty aircraft, a maximum of 36 Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II stealth multirole fighters and four AgustaWestland Merlin helicopters.
(航空自衛隊 Photo)
HMS Prince of Wales (R09), with Royal Navy F-35B, JASDF F-35A and F-15 fighter jets overhead, 6 Sep 2025.
(航空自衛隊 Photo)
HMS Prince of Wale（R09）and USS Higgins (DDG-76), HMCS Ville de Québec (FFH332), JS Akebono (DD-108), conducting Japan-U.K.-U.S.-Australia-Canada-Norway Multilateral Exercise. 1 Sep 2025.
(USN Photo)
The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73), Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55), the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales (R09), and logistics supply ship BRF Jacques Chevallier (A 725) sail in formation during interoperability training in the Atlantic Ocean demonstrating partnership and commitment in the maritime domain, 3 Nov 2023.
(USN Photo)
HMS Prince of Wales (R09) completing sea trials prior to her first entry to Her Majesty’s Naval Base Portsmouth, UK,on 11 November 2019.
(MOD Photo)
No. 815 Squadron Wildcat helicopter landing on HMS Prince of Wales (R09).
(USN Photo)
HMS Prince of Wales (R09) in the Mediterranean Sea with NATO allied and partnered ships, 11 May 2025.
(ITookSomePhotos Photo)
HMS Prince of Wales (R09) and HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08), Portsmouth, UK, seen from Spinnaker Tower. Prince of Wales is nearest to the camera. 21 Sep 2020.
(UK MOD Photo)
HMS Prince of Wales (R09) and HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08) together at sea for the first time on 19 May 2021.
(UK MOD Photo)
HMS Prince of Wales (R09) leads the fifteen ship formation as jets fly past. The UK-led Carrier Strike Group amalgamates with the NATO Amphibious Task Group and additional Norwegian naval units for a PHOTEX 13 Mar 24. Aircraft participating in the flypast were six Finnish F-18 and two Swedish JAS-39 fighters. Fifteen ships sailed in formation as follows: Front row: HMS Prince of Wales. Row 2 (L-R): USS Paul Ignatius, ESPS Almirante Juan de Borbon. Row 3 (L-R): HMS Portland, HNLMS Karel Doorman, HNOMS Magnus Lagabote, RFA Tidespring, HNOMS Olav Tyrggvason, ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi, FS Normandie. Row 4 (L-R): RFA Mounts Bay, HNOMS Otto Sverdrup, HNOMS Gnist, Kv Bjornoya, FGS Bonn.