'Trump mocked our ships': HMS Prince of Wales could sail to US for Independence Day in 'humiliating' move
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The Royal Navy flagship could sail to the US for American Independence Day despite Donald Trump’s insults to British personnel.
As reported in the Daily Telegraph, talks are ongoing whether to deploy HMS Prince of Wales to New York. The 65,000 tonne warship could join the July 4 celebrations, marking the defeat of Britain in 1776.
Mr Trump has repeatedly insulted the Royal Navy and the force’s Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers. He called them “toys” and dismissed them as being “old and broken down”.
“This just feels humiliating,” one source told the Telegraph. “Why should we send the carrier to join an event marking the defeat of Britain, for a president who has called us cowards and mocked our ships?”
HMS Prince of Wales is due to work alongside Nato allies and US personnel during Operation Firecrest, where the UK Carrier Strike Group will carry out military exercises in the North Atlantic and Arctic - amid the growing threat from Russia in the region.
No firm decision has been taken on whether the £3.2bn warship will head to New York. The national publication said discussions on a possible voyage have been taking place for months, predating Mr Trump’s tirades.
Defence secretary John Healey is expected to make the final decision. A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said: “We do not comment on speculation regarding operational deployments.”
The Royal Navy has previously sent vessels to the event, with the icebreaker HMS Protector attending in 2022 and survey ship HMS Scott joining in 2023. HMS Queen Elizabeth last visited the US in September 2022, replacing HMS Prince of Wales after she ran into mechanical difficulties off the coast of the Isle of Wight.
The warship was the floating venue for the Atlantic Future Forum - a conference which brought together the brightest minds and most influential thinkers from defence. It was organised to strengthen the bond between the UK and US, which has been strained following Mr Trump’s comments on British forces, prime minister Sir Keir Starmer, and the Royal Navy.
In January, the US president was widely criticised for derogatory comments about British soldiers during the war in Afghanistan, which he later backtracked. There were 457 fatalities of British Forces personnel between 2001 and 2021.
During an interview with Fox News, he said: “We've never needed them. We have never really asked anything of them. They'll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan... and they did, they stayed a little back, a little off the front lines."