Humiliation as Britain's aircraft carrier may need French protection

Mar 9 2026

The potential deployment of a British aircraft carrier may require an escort by French warships. The crew on board HMS Prince of Wales have been given five days' notice to move as tensions continue to rise in the Middle East.

However, the dire state of the Royal Navy, with several key frigates and destroyers undergoing maintenance, means that the UK might struggle to provide a protection group to the aircraft carrier should it be destroyed. Typically, a carrier escort group includes two to three destroyers or frigates and an attack submarine. The Royal Navy has six destroyers, but only HMS Dragon is believed to be ready for operations and is expected to deploy to the eastern Mediterranean following an Iranian-backed attack on RAF Akrotiri. Of the Navy’s seven frigates, only HMS Somerset and HMS St Albans are thought to be available for tasking.

https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/2179870/britain-aircraft-carrier-french-protection

‘We should have seen this coming’: Why a Royal Navy ship still hasn’t reached Cyprus after Iran strike

Mar 9 2026

When a drone struck a Royal Air Force base in Cyprus on the night of 1st March, the UK was forced to reconsider its hands-off approach to America’s war with Iran.

In a recorded TV address earlier that evening, Sir Keir Starmer said he had agreed to a US request to use British military bases for “defensive” strikes on Iranian missile sites, adding “British lives” had been put at risk. By Tuesday, the government decided it would scramble a warship, HMS Dragon, to the eastern Mediterranean.

But the intended display of naval might has yet to take place, with the warship still in Portsmouth where it is expected to remain until later this week. It’s a wait that has left MoD officials “fuming” and exposed the shortcomings of previous financially-motivated decisions – including agreements with contractors to not work out of hours.

Under the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee, which handed independence to Cyprus, the UK has a legal obligation to ensure the island’s security. But the Cypriot government has said it was “disappointed” in Britain’s response to the strike and has been forced to draft in help from France.

It is also thought to be the first time since 1980 that no Royal Navy ships have been stationed in the Gulf after years of scaling back British presence in the region. Admiral Lord Alan West, who served as First Sea Lord between 2002 and 2006, previously described the decision to bring home the last remaining vessel as a “terrible error”.

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The delay has not gone unnoticed. Reports the UK was updating HMS Prince of Wales’ readiness level prompted US president Donald Trump to suggest “we don’t need them any longer” in a post on Truth Social on Saturday evening.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/hms-dragon-royal-navy-cyprus-uk-aircraft-carrier-prince-wales-b2934608.html