Queen Elizabeth II visits the HMS Queen Elizabeth at HM Naval Base, ahead of the ship's maiden deployment, in Portsmouth, England, Saturday May 22, 2021. Photo / AP
Queen Elizabeth II visits the HMS Queen Elizabeth at HM Naval Base, ahead of the ship's maiden deployment, in Portsmouth, England, Saturday May 22, 2021. Photo / AP
Queen Elizabeth II has made a quick visit to the Royal Navy's flagship aircraft carrier that bears the name of her eponymous 16th- century predecessor before its maiden operational deployment.
The Queen made a discreet but touching tribute to her late husband Prince Philip during the visit on Saturday (local time), wearing a brooch gifted to her by her husband.
Photos from the Queen's engagement this weekend show Her Majesty wearing her "scarab" brooch, a personal gift from Philip in 1966.
She paired the piece with a pearl necklace and earrings, a deep-red coat with a black collar and a matching red floral hat.
The queen has worn the statement piece over the years during various events and for special appearances, including photographs to celebrate the couple's wedding anniversary.
The HMS Queen Elizabeth, the latest Royal Navy ship to honor the Tudor-era monarch who vanquished the Spanish Armada in 1588, will lead a 28-week deployment to Asia that Prime Minister Boris Johnson has insisted is not confrontational toward China.
The £3 billion (NZ$5.9 billion) ship, which has eight RAF F35B stealth fighter jets on board, is scheduled to depart from Portsmouth Naval Base in southern England, accompanied by six Royal Navy ships, a submarine, 14 naval helicopters and a company of Royal Marines.
Arriving by helicopter, the 95-year-old monarch was greeted by the ship's commanding officer, Captain Angus Essenhigh, and Commodore Stephen Moorhouse, commander of the UK Carrier Strike Group.
HMS Queen Elizabeth will be leading a 28-week deployment to the Far East that Prime Minister Boris Johnson has insisted is not confrontational towards China. Photo / AP
While aboard, she was given a briefing on the upcoming deployment and had a chance to chat with some of the 1700 personnel.
The carrier group will travel through the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea, then from the Gulf of Aden to the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean to the Philippine Sea.
It will carry out visits to 40 countries including India, Japan, South Korea and Singapore with more than 70 engagements, including sailing alongside the French carrier Charles De Gaulle in the Mediterranean. A total of 3700 sailors, aviators and marines are involved in the deployment which will cover 25,000 nautical miles.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has said the deployment "will be flying the flag for Global Britain — projecting our influence, signaling our power, engaging with our friends and reaffirming our commitment to addressing the security challenges of today and tomorrow".
The trip comes after the British government's review of defence and foreign policy recommended the UK "tilt" its focus towards the Indo-Pacific region, in response to China's growing influence on the world stage.
"One of the things we'll be doing clearly is showing to our friends in China that we believe in the international law of the sea and, in a confident but not a confrontational way, we will be vindicating that point," Johnson said while visiting the HMS Queen Elizabeth on Friday.
