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Royal Navy parade through city centre to honour its largest warship
Hundreds lined the streets of Bristol on Saturday as 300 servicemen and women marched through the city centre.
The parade of sailors and royal marines was to mark warship HMS Prince of Wales being granted ‘Freedom of the City’. This is an ancient honour that recognises the ship’s “service and unique relationship with Bristol”.
Bristol has been affiliated with the service’s latest and largest warship since 2016, an honour shared with Liverpool, and the relationship will last for 50 years.
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When given to a military unit, the Freedom of the City award grants it to march into the city “with drums beating, colours flying, and bayonets fixed”.
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Led by a band of royal marines, 275 sailors paraded from College Green along St George’s Road, Anchor Road, Broad Quay, St Augustine’s Parade and Park Street before returning to its starting point where there was a blessing in Bristol Cathedral.
It came after a “unique” ceremony on the green where the lord mayor of Bristol Paul Goggin presented a freedom scroll.
Goggin said: “It was an honour for Bristol to grant the ship’s company the Freedom of the City.
“I am delighted to celebrate the close bond Bristol has with the HMS Prince of Wales, and people across the city look forward to strengthening our ties with them.
HMS Prince Of Wales can accommodate 36 fighter jets and four helicopters – photo: Royal Navy
Captain Richard Hewitt, commanding officer of HMS Prince of Wales said: “Being able to exercise the Freedom of the City of Bristol is a significant honour for us.
“Bristol has a great maritime heritage and I know our sailors are looking forward to being on parade through the City.”
“This will support the continued strong relationships between generations of royal navy sailors in HMS Prince of Wales and the city of Bristol over the next 50 years.”
Honorary royal navy captain Peaches Golding, lord-lieutenant of the county and city of Bristol, added: “This ceremony and the awarding of the Freedom of the City are potent symbols of the close ties that exist between Bristol and our nation’s armed forces.
“Bristol has a long and proud history of affiliation with our nation’s armed forces, a tradition that has seen eight previous units receive the Freedom of the City.”
Main photo & video: Betty Woolerton
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