In pictures: HMS Prince of Wales basks in stunning northern lights display on Ex Steadfast Defender

HMS Prince of Wales and her crew witnessed a stunning display of the northern lights during Exercise Steadfast Defender – Nato's largest military exercise since the Cold War.

Sailors working on the flight deck of the carrier captured the amazing sight on camera, a breathtaking show of pinks and greens lighting up the sky above their heads.

The images show the embarked F-35 Lightning jets and Merlin helicopters silhouetted on the flight deck with the northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis, shining in the skies around them, off the coast of Norway.

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For many, seeing the northern lights – which happen when charged particles launched along the Earth's magnetic field collide with gases in the upper atmosphere to create tiny flashes of colourful light – is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

HMS Prince of Wales is currently taking part in Exercise Steadfast Defender which involves 20,000 British soldiers, sailors and airmen.