HMS Prince of Wales celebrates Bristol link with Freedom Parade
The Royal Navy's largest warship was granted the Freedom of the City of Bristol and her crew enjoyed a parade through the centre of the city.
Hundreds of servicemen and women marched through the centre of Bristol to celebrate the 50-year link between the ship and Bristol.
Bayonets were fixed, drums were beating and colours were flying as 300 sailors were led by a Royal Marines band on Saturday.
'One of the UK's iconic maritime cities'
Captain Richard Hewitt OBE, Commanding Officer of HMS Prince of Wales, said: "Seeing 300 sailors from HMS Prince of Wales exercising their right to march through Bristol this weekend was a huge honour and privilege.
"It further demonstrates the link between one of the Royal Navy's strike carriers and one of the UK's iconic maritime cities.
"The welcome we received from the people of Bristol is a testament to the commitment and discipline demonstrated today from the sailors and would not have been so spectacular without the hard work from all those involved in organising the event.
"The affiliation we have with Bristol, through the Lord Lieutenant, Lord Mayor, and Bristol City Council, is testimony of our steadfast friendship for the next 50 years."
'Massive sense of achievement'
Petty Officer Luke Witts, an aircraft handler, said: "As a proud Bristolian, being part of the celebration and parading in Bristol, representing HMS Prince of Wales is a massive sense of achievement.
"Marching through my home city is something I never thought I would do so the planning and organising has definitely been worth it in the end."
The Freedom of the City, when granted to a military unit, gives them the privilege of marching through a city.
Since first being awarded in 1888, the Freedom of the City has been bestowed on 66 individuals and military units – Bristol is also the first UK city to award the honour to a fifth-generation carrier.
HMS Prince of Wales weighs in at 65,000 tonnes with a crew of more than 700 and, with her flight deck that measures 280m long and 70m wide, can accommodate 36 fighter jets and four Merlin helicopters.
Last August, the £3bn warship broke down off the Isle of Wight as she was leaving Portsmouth for trials in the US and, since then, she has been undergoing repairs.
The Royal Navy has said that the sea vessel will return to her home port of Portsmouth and look to return to operations in the autumn.
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