Royal Marines band makes grand entrance from HMS Prince of Wales lift

Musicians from the Royal Marines put on a performance to remember for dignitaries on board HMS Prince of Wales as they made a grand entrance on one of the carrier's lifts.

The £3bn vessel is currently alongside in Virginia, USA, after completing four weeks of intensive F-35 jet trials off the east coast of America and a number of VIPs were welcomed on board as the British Ambassador to the US hosted an event.

Senior American leaders, including the Secretary of the US Navy, Nato officials and UK Armed Forces Minister James Heappey were on Britain's biggest warship for a celebration of global alliances.

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The UK Military & Defence Staff US shared a short video of the Royal Marines band's spectacular entrance as part of the event, showing the immaculately dressed musicians slowly lowered down into a hangar on the lift.

HMS Prince of Wales is alongside at the Naval Station Norfolk restocking and replenishing after a busy period of training with American F-35Bs and other aircraft.

Mr Heappey visited the carrier and its company during a four-day trip to the US for talks with key officials and political leaders.

He visited the United Nations headquarters in New York where he discussed the UN's peacekeeping reforms and how the UK can contribute to them.

The former soldier then went to the US Military Academy, West Point, to understand what the UK Armed Forces could learn from the US Army's approach to training its next generation of leaders.

Mr Heappey later visited Washington DC for talks with senior officials and then senior politicians in Congress before ending his trip with a visit to HMS Prince of Wales.

The minister spoke with the ship's company about their deployment and while in Norfolk, also met senior Nato commanders to discuss collaboration between the UK and alliance.

He said: "The UK's defence and security relationship with the USA is uniquely close, and the sight of British and American aircraft landing on a British aircraft carrier stationed off America's coastline is the perfect demonstration of the depth of that alliance.

"I have held productive discussions with senior administration officials and military chiefs to discuss the future of this relationship in the context of serious conflicts both in Ukraine, and now in the Middle East."