HMS Prince of Wales to arrive in Liverpool early in major change

The HMS Prince of Wales will arrive in Liverpool on Sunday morning following a change of plans due to predicted bad weather. The aircraft carrier's official Twitter/X account confirmed the ship would be arriving into Liverpool at around 10am on Sunday, December 1.

The account said: "Announcement: Due to predicted inclement weather on Monday, we plan to arrive in Liverpool this Sunday morning, around 10am! As always, subject to change!" The same account announced earlier this morning that the ship was in the Irish Sea and was planning to sail close to Douglas in the Isle of Man at around 3pm today.

She last sailed down the River Mersey in March 2020, when huge crowds gathered on Liverpool's waterfront to catch a glimpse of the massive aircraft carrier.

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The 65,000 tonne vessel has a company of 700 sailors - increased to around 1,600 with aircraft on board. The arrival of the ship is expected to draw tens of thousands of visitors to the Pier Head to see the arrival of the warship during its visit to Liverpool Cruise Terminal.

Speaking about the ship's impending arrival in Liverpool, Commanding Officer Captain Will Blackett said: "It is a great privilege to bring the ship to Liverpool – a city with very special historical links to the Royal Navy – and it is a particular honour for us to receive the Freedom of the City this week.

"This is the culmination of a very busy autumn training programme. The ship’s company deserves recognition for their remarkable efforts, and this visit allows us to show you what we do."

People who bagged themselves tickets will be able to board the ship for a tour next weekend. Tickets for a grand tour of the Royal Navy’s biggest ship sold out in November, just two days after sales began. A staggering 10,000 people will be permitted to explore the ship this weekend, and after the sell-out ticket release last month "there will be no further releases."