Excited crowds watch HMS Queen Elizabeth set sail from Portsmouth Harbour

Hundreds of people have braved grey skies and the threat of rain to watch HMS Queen Elizabeth set sail from Portsmouth Harbour.

In order to head to the open sea, tugs began to gently pull HMS Queen Elizabeth from her Princess Royal Jetty berth.

When she was in the middle of Portsmouth Harbour, the tugs then began the process of turning the ship through 180 degrees, so her bows faced the harbour entrance and her journey could begin.

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She passed by the Nab Tower as she made her way into the Solent and out to sea.

The Royal Navy has not released many details about what the aircraft carrier is doing, just telling BFBS Forces News that she is on a routine tasking.

However, recent work was carried out on HMS Queen Elizabeth in Rosyth to repair a propeller shaft, so she may be carrying out some work-up trials following that.

This is likely to be in preparation for a later, more significant, deployment.

Nevertheless, the huge vessel leaving the harbour rewarded the crowds with exactly what they came to see – a spectacular sight.

The day was the last of the holidays for many of the children in attendance, who waved to the ship as she headed out into the choppy seas.

In February, HMS Queen Elizabeth had been due to lead Exercise Steadfast Defender, the largest Nato exercise since the Cold War.

But her departure was cancelled at the last minute after the problem with a propeller shaft was spotted during final checks.

This setback came 18 months after sister ship HMS Prince of Wales broke down off the Isle of Wight as she sailed for the US, having suffered a malfunction with a coupling on her starboard propeller.