Queen welcomes crew as Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth returns to Portsmouth

Queen sent message to the crew as the royal navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth has returned from its maiden operational deployment.

The Queen has sent a message welcoming the crew of the warship home for Christmas. 

The flagship is part of a nine-ship force, seven of them British, which set off from Portsmouth Naval Base for the 28-week deployment in May.

According to the the Royal family's tweet, the ship’s seven-month deployment has seen them sail across three oceans and five seas.

The crew were welcomed home in time for Christmas by family and friends lining the jetty at the naval base. 

The Queen went on board to wish the crew well before the fleet, known as the Carrier Strike Group (CSG), headed off for the Indo-Pacific region.

The CSG is reportedly manned by 3,700 sailors, aviators and marines from the combined forces of the UK, US and the Netherlands.