The HMS Prince of Wales has returned to Portsmouth Harbour after leading in the largest Nato exercise in 40 years.

The British warship was at the centre of the maritime mission involving more than 20,000 UK military personnel across Scandinavia and northern Europe.

The aircraft carrier set sail on February 12 to lead a UK Carrier Strike Group, which operated as a naval force of allied warships and submarines in the North Atlantic, Norwegian Sea and the Baltic Sea.

A Royal Navy spokesperson said: “HMS Prince of Wales is returning to her home port of Portsmouth after successfully leading the UK’s involvement in Exercise Steadfast Defender, the largest Nato military exercise since the end of the Cold War.”

HMS Queen Elizabeth, the fleet flagship, had been expected to lead the exercise but its deployment was called off after final checks found an issue with the starboard propeller coupling, the Navy said.