8 glorious pictures as giant Royal Navy warship leaves Portsmouth

Loved ones, friends and well-wishers cheered and waved off HMS Prince of Wales on a beautiful sunny morning.

The giant warship left later than the estimated 10.30am departure as she made her way from the Prince’s Royal Jetty before sailing past The Round Tower in Old Portsmouth shortly afterwards. She then proceeded to the Outer Spit Buoy towards The Nab Tower with a Pilot and Tug Assist.

The 65,000-tonne warship will be completing her autumn training programme - including Exercise Strike Warrior - where she will lead a UK Carrier Strike Group.

Sailors, pilots, engineers, and the rest of the ship’s company, will be put through their paces so they’re prepared for their deployment to Japan and the Indo-Pacific region next year.

HMS Prince of Wales’ will initially sail to Cornwall - depending on the weather - to qualify her air wing, before heading to the exercise area off the coast of Scotland.

See our picture gallery of the iconic warship leaving Portsmouth.