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Queen visits new British aircraft carrier

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Queen Elizabeth visits the HMS Queen Elizabeth ahead of the ship's maiden deployment.
Camera IconQueen Elizabeth visits the HMS Queen Elizabeth ahead of the ship's maiden deployment. Credit: AP

Britain's Queen Elizabeth has paid a visit to a new Royal Navy aircraft carrier, shortly before the warship set off on its maiden voyage to East Asia.

The Queen was welcomed aboard on Saturday by Captain Angus Essenhigh and Commodore Stephen Moorhouse while the new flagship carrier was docked in England's Portsmouth Harbor.

The HMS Queen Elizabeth was to set sail Saturday and visit 40 countries on a 28-week voyage, including India, Japan and South Korea.

Several fighter jets were on board for the voyage, and the escort force consists of warships, a submarine and 14 naval helicopters.

On Friday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson stopped by the aircraft carrier and affirmed that the ship's journey to East Asia was in no way intended to be a confrontational gesture toward China. Rather, he said it was about enforcing international maritime law.

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Britain has spent 3 billion pounds ($A5.5 billion) on building the ship, which is named after Elizabeth I, who reigned in the 16th century and oversaw the defeat of the Spanish armada.

Britain recently announced a pivot to East Asia as part of a new foreign and defence strategy, a move seen as a response to China's growing influence in the region.

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