Prince Charles was in an unusual position when he graced the official Commissioning Ceremony of the HMS Prince of Wales in Portsmouth, Hampshire, together with his wife, Camilla. The Duke of Wales found himself behind the Duchess of Cornwall, who was named as the aircraft carrier's Lady Sponsor. So, why was he behind her?
According to Express, the heir to the throne was accompanying the future queen consort, so he had to walk behind her. As the new Lady Sponsor, the Royal Navy's spokeswoman said that she would be like a godmother who would attend important events during the ship's life. She, too, would have to take an interest in its activities and the welfare of the ship's company.
The £3.1-billion warship is Britain's second Queen Elizabeth carrier. It is named after Prince Charles himself.
At the ceremony, Camilla donned a pale blue Bruce Oldfield outfit paired with a Philip Treacy hat. Prince Charles, on the other hand, sported the Admiral of the Fleet's uniform.
The Band of the Royal Marines honored the royal couple with live music. The event ended with the hoisting of the white ensign, which officially designated the ship as part of the Royal Navy's operational fleet. It happened shortly after the two cut the commissioning cake.
There were a lot of sweet treats baked for the occasion. There was even a special one that was topped with small figurines to the liking of Prince Charles and Camilla.
Business Times recently reported that an image of Prince Charles was placed on the top of a cake. There was also a small sculpture of a sailor holding a placard with a note, "This time it's HMS," alongside a figurine of Camilla, which also carried a board saying, "him," pointing to her husband's statuette.
By the looks of it, the small figurine dolls, which were made of fondant, was inspired by Queen Elizabeth II's cheeky characters from the inauguration of HMS Queen Elizabeth in December 2017. The said ship is the sister carrier of the new HMS Prince of Wales.
Meanwhile, in celebration of the new fleet's coming, Prince Charles uttered a joke to his former shipmates from HMS Bronington, a minesweeper he commanded in the 1970s, to keep everyone entertained. Camilla, alternatively, told the 3,000 audiences and the former SAS serviceman Bear Grylls that its arrival would begin an "exciting new era in the long naval history."
