Prince Charles emerges from seclusion with Camilla as £3bn aircraft carrier is named after him

Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, have made one of their first public appearances following the intense coverage of Diana, Princess of Wales' 20<sup>th death anniversary.

Dressed in full Royal Navy uniform, 68-year-old Charles was in high spirits as he was accompanied by his wife of 12 years – wearing a stylish navy and white trim coat dress with a matching hat – at the Rosyth shipyard in Scotland (8 September).

The Royal Navy's new £3bn aircraft carrier was formally named in honour of the Prince of Wales during the engagement, becoming the second aircraft carrier in the UK's fleet. Construction on the ship was halted for the naval tradition which dates back centuries.

Camilla, 70, is the ship's sponsor and carried out the special ceremony for her husband.

A bottle of whiskey was smashed against the 65,000-tone aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales at the naming in Rosyth Dockyard, Fife, as the royal couple – known as the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay when in Scotland – were joined by senior politicians, including Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon, International Trade Secretary Liam Fox. Naval officers and veterans of the vessel, which sunk during the Second World War, were also in attendance.

Its sister ship HMS Queen Elizabeth set sail from Rosyth this summer, with HMS Prince of Wales scheduled to follow in 2019. It is 280-metres and is said to be "more efficient" than Queen Elizabeth, and 10,000 people and 800 different companies have been involved in its construction.

Former Commanding Officer of HMS Ocean and HMS Lancaster Stephen Moorhouse was named the first seagoing captain of HMS Prince of Wales this week.

The 44-year-old takes over from Captain Ian Groom, who is currently the Senior Naval Officer on board the ship during the carrier's build programme.

He said: "Seeing our sister ship HMS Queen Elizabeth make her debut in Portsmouth last month was an amazing sight and I look forward to one day bringing HMS Prince of Wales home to the same warm welcome.

"Until then the ship's company in Rosyth will continue to grow and they have much to be proud of in all the work they have done so far, working with our civilian industry partners to bring this ship to life."