Queen Elizabeth II's helicopter entrance and other highlights from her latest engagement

Queen Elizabeth II visited the UK's largest warship named after her on Saturday, marking her first public appearance since the death of her husband Prince Philip. The royal engagement made headlines for a number of other reasons, including the monarch's iconic entrance in a helicopter.

The helicopter landed on the deck of HMS Queen Elizabeth, which the Queen herself named alongside her late husband seven years ago, before it descended in an enormous open lift flanked by two F-35B fighter jets, reports Mail Online.

The monarch toured the vessel stationed at Portsmouth Naval Base for around an hour before sending it off to its maiden operational deployment to the Philippine Sea, where it will lead a flotilla of British, US and Dutch ships. The £3 billion warship, affectionately called "Big Lizzie," will carry out visits to 40 countries including India, Japan, and Singapore over the next 28 weeks.

For the visit, the 95-year-old was dressed in a crepe wool dress by Stewart Parvin, which she wore underneath a brick-red military-style cashmere coat featuring a black velvet collar and buttons. She accessorised her look with a hat by Rachel Trevor-Morgan, and a scarab brooch studded with small diamonds and carved rubies that was gifted to her by the Duke of Edinburgh in 1996.

The Queen was welcomed aboard the ship by commanding officer Captain Angus Essenhigh, and Commodore Stephen Moorhouse, commander of the UK CSG. During the visit, she interacted with some of the 1,700 crew members onboard the carrier which include Royal Navy sailors, Royal Air Force airmen and women, Royal Marines, and 250 United States personnel. According to a statement by the UK Defense Ministry, the monarch wished the crew luck in "what will be an unforgettable life experience by being part of naval history."

Engineering Technician Marine Engineering (ETME) Billie Matthews, one of the crew members who met the Queen, described the visit as "brilliant." He said: "She was very chatty, very smily."

Palace aides said that the Queen wanted her visit to be a welcome sign of normality returning, particularly after the latest lockdown. A source said: "There is a desire from Her Majesty to get out and about to show people that normal life can resume."