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Remember when that composer at the coronation had to come out and say he wasn’t Meghan Markle in disguise?

Well, 2023 was full of hilarious, jaw-dropping and laugh-out-loud moments just like that.

We’ve rounded up some of our favourites.

Harry’s virginity

A person holds a copy of the newly released autobiography from the Duke of Sussex, titled Spare, at Waterstones Piccadilly, London, as it goes on sale to the public for the fist time. Picture date: Tuesday January 10, 2023.

Prince Harry really did tell all in his tell-all memoir which was released in January.

While there were several note-worthy revelations (the Nazi costume apparently not being all his fault, “Willy” calling Meghan “rude” and the brothers getting into fisticuffs – resulting in Harry falling on to the dog bowl), the one that gave rise to countless memes and re-enactments using a snippet from the audiobook was the prince describing how he lost his virginity in a field to an “older lady”.

In case you missed it (unlikely), here’s that passage:

“I mounted her quickly, after which she spanked my ass and held me back… one of my mistakes was letting it happen in a field, just behind a busy pub.

“No doubt someone had seen us.”

Good evening Daddy

Live TV is hard.

You can misspeak or lose your train of thought, or accidentally stick your middle finger up at millions of viewers dunking biscuits into their tea (more on that one later).

Sometimes, you might even call a guest daddy, just like our very own Mark Austin did when he was talking to policing commentator Danny Shaw (you understand the mix-up) about alleged escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife.

The King gets bored at his own party

2022 gave us the King and the leaky pen, but 2023 gave us the King complaining in his golden carriage about how bored he was at his coronation.

He was filmed waiting outside Westminster Abbey for the rest of his family who were running late.

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King looks grumpy after arriving early

This is what a lip reader thinks he was saying:

“We can never be on time… This is a negative… There’s always something… This is boring.”

Victoria Beckham is ‘working class’

How did Victoria Beckham – a woman who made a name for herself as a posh person – think she could get away with telling the world that she came from humble beginnings?

In the greatly anticipated Beckham documentary on Netflix, the Spice Girl began to talk about how she and husband David were such a good match because of their very similar “working class” backgrounds, when he swiftly reminded her that you’re not very “working class” if your dad took you to school in a Rolls-Royce.

She took it in good humour and even launched a T-shirt to celebrate the moment.

Taylor Swift puts Travis Kelce ‘on the map’

2023 saw Taylor Swift find romance with a superstar American football player – but nobody had really heard of him before Swift made him famous, right?

That’s what women on social media all over the US were teasing their boyfriends/husbands/dads/brothers with after the megastar was pictured at one of his games.

Taylor Swift, center left, celebrates with Brittany Mahomes, center right, after the Kansas City Chiefs scored a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
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Taylor Swift celebrates with Brittany Mahomes at a Kansas City Chiefs game on 17 December

If you missed the trend, the videos followed pretty much exactly the same format:

Girl: Isn’t it so good that this Travis Kelce guy is gonna have such a good career now that Taylor Swift has put him on the map?

Guy: Put him on the map?

Girl: Yeah, like she’s totally made him famous.

Guy: You’re kidding right? You’re kidding.

Girl: No, he’s going to be so famous now, it’s great, right?

Guy: Travis Kelce is the best tight-end in literally the entire world. He’s one of the most famous football players in the NFL.

Travis Kelce has opened up about his relationship with Taylor Swift
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Travis Kelce is dating Taylor Swift

‘I’m not Meghan, I’m a composer’

Sir Karl Jenkins is a Welsh composer.

He is not Meghan Markle in disguise and he’s had that moustache since he was 18.

Sir Karl Jenkins and Meghan Markle
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Sir Karl Jenkins and Meghan Markle

The 79-year-old musician, who was sitting next to Andrew Lloyd Webber in Westminster Abbey for the King’s coronation, sparked speculation on social media that he was the duchess undercover in a large white wig and glasses.

After having had enough of the rumours that suggested otherwise, he released a video statement.

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Sir Karl Jenkins: ‘I’m not Meghan’

“My name is Sir Karl Jenkins. I understand there’s been a lot of interest in me since I appeared at the coronation of King Charles III. I was there because I’d written some music for the service.

“I was quite surprised that some people thought I was Meghan Markle in disguise. Someone wrote I was there to steal the crown jewels.

“I look this way all the time. I’ve had this moustache since I was 18. So that’s me. Nothing sinister about it or surprising at all.”

Bad blood between Biden and Taylor?

Oh, President Biden.

You can rattle Trump supporters and gun enthusiasts all you want, but antagonising the Swifties is career suicide.

The American president has been known for the odd blunder here and there, but he really stuck his foot in it when he used the name Britney in an apparent reference to Taylor Swift’s most recent overseas tour.

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Biden confuses Taylor Swift with Britney Spears

Sex noises disrupt Euro 2024 draw

Moaning could be heard at one of the biggest football events of the year – and it wasn’t Gary Neville talking about Manchester United’s woes!

It was actually sexual noises being played during UEFA’s live draw, causing a stir on social media.

There were smirks in the audience as the sound of a woman moaning interrupted proceedings for several minutes.

Serial prankster Daniel Jarvis later owned up to playing out the sound – and he had previously taken credit for a similar incident during live BBC coverage of a game between Wolverhampton and Liverpool.

BBC presenter flips the bird

Five, four, three, two, one… aaand viral phenomenon.

When BBC News presenter Maryam Moshiri began her crude countdown to going on air, she had no idea she’d be giving the middle finger to the nation as well as to her studio colleagues.

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Maryam Moshiri says gesture was ‘private joke’

The joke was mostly well-received all round, and the footage that has since been released of her full sarcastic countdown from five has also been a hit on social media.

It was the Tories who faced the most backlash in the video’s aftermath, after their social media team posted a screenshot of the presenter holding up her finger on X with the words: “Labour when you ask for their plans to tackle illegal migration.”

Never mind the bullocks

A bullock went viral when it was pulled from a sinkhole with “a couple of straps and a telehandler”.

The most miraculous thing about the whole incident – which was a bit like watching a blown-up version of a rabbit getting pulled from a hat – was that the animal walked away unharmed, as if nothing had ever happened.

The video of the bullock’s ordeal has been viewed 62 million times on Sky News’ platforms.

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Bullock gets pulled out of a hole by its back legs

Right in the pie hole

The budget airline’s boss got a full face of dessert when a protester decided to throw two cream pies at him.

Michael O’Leary, to his credit, didn’t come across all pie and mighty (sorry) after the incident at a news conference, in which the female protester demanded he “stop the pollution of your planes”.

“It’s the first time environmentalists have given me cake,” he quipped.

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Moment Ryanair CEO is hit with a cake by climate activists

Sir Keir Starmer gets glitter bombed

Unfortunately for Sir Keir Starmer, it wasn’t his vibrant personality and energy that lit up the Labour conference in October, according to some critics.

It was instead the glitter that had been sprinkled over his head by a protester who made his way on to the stage during the Labour leader’s speech.

The demonstrator shouted “true democracy is citizen-led, politics needs an update” – prompting boos and looks of concern from members of the audience.

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The protester was carried out by security guards

Sir Keir managed to brush it off… figuratively. Literally speaking, large specks of glitter could still be seen on his white shirt and remained there for the duration of his keynote address.

‘X, formerly known as Twitter’

Yes; we’re as fed up of writing it as you are of reading it.

But we have to keep the line in for our one reader who may not know that the social media site was rebranded in July by its billionaire owner Elon Musk.

Perhaps next year, we’ll start referring to X (formerly Twitter!) as just X. Watch this space(X).

Musk and Zuckerberg almost had a fight

Elon Musk challenged Mark Zuckerberg to a cage fight – only for the Meta boss to unexpectedly agree to it.

The pair bickered back-and-fourth online for months, proving that you’re never too rich or famous to be an internet troll.

Both men are preparing for their bouts... Pics: Instagram/Zuck and X/ElonMusk
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Both men said they were preparing for the fight. Pics: Instagram/Zuck and X/ElonMusk

The idea ultimately fizzled out, though, with the social media moguls failing to even agree on a date for the potential bout.

Meta boss Zuckerberg has since told us that it’s time to “move on” from the saga.

Never, Mark. Never.

Gwyneth Paltrow and the ski accident

“Who caused the crash? Is somebody lying? What did she just say to him?”

These were the kinds of questions we had in March as we watched actress Gwyneth Paltrow defend herself in – and ultimately win – a bizarre civil court case against a man who claimed she crashed into him while skiing.

It took jurors all of two hours to reflect on eight days of evidence and conclude that optometrist Terry Sanderson was “100%” at fault for the skiing accident in 2016.

But viewers watching the final court broadcast were still left with questions as the Seven star leaned into Mr Sanderson and said something to him that wasn’t picked up by microphones.

Mr Sanderson claimed that she simply wished the 76-year-old well, but we’ll never truly know.

Perhaps the creators of a new play based on the court case (yes, that’s really a thing) will give their own interpretation of the exchange.

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‘The ridiculousness of it just made it so captivating’

Altman’s out… wait, he’s back!

In a whirlwind few days for ChatGPT maker OpenAI, chief executive Sam Altman was ousted by his own board, only to be reinstated within a week.

Not being “consistently candid in his communications” was the charge laid at his feet by the board when the stunning decision was made mid-November.

Sam Altman at a summit in November
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Sam Altman at a summit in November

But his alleged comms shortcomings were swiftly forgiven by the AI firm after its president and other staff members threatened to follow Altman out.

It was enough to see Altman hastily return as chief executive – with a new board installed.

Education secretary complains ‘everyone else has sat on their arses’

The education secretary was caught complaining about not being thanked for doing a “f****** good job” over the unsafe concrete crisis.

After an interview with ITV News in Westminster, Gillian Keegan criticised others for being “sat on their arses” and claimed the government had gone “over and above” in addressing concerns relating to reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).

While her mic was still on, she said: “Does anyone ever say ‘You know you’ve done a f****** good job because everyone else has sat on their arses and done nothing’?

“No signs of that, no?”

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Education sec watches clip of herself swearing

Ms Keegan later apologised and admitted she was “frustrated with the interviewer” who was “making out it was all my fault”.

If we’re grateful for anything, it’s that the rant was caught on mic.

James Cleverly: ‘I said s***, not s***hole!’

Are you sensing a theme here?

When Commons microphones picked up some foul language during Prime Minister’s Questions in November, Home Secretary James Cleverly was forced to issue an apology.

It was him, he admitted, who could be heard using the S word following a question from Labour Stockton North MP Alex Cunningham regarding child poverty in the northern town.

Mr Cunningham accused Suella Braverman’s successor of describing Stockton-on-Tees as a “s***hole” in the remark, but Mr Cleverly was adamant that he “would never” insult the town.

Insult its MP, though? Well, that’s another story.

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Rude remark heard during PMQs

A source close to the home secretary admitted the minister had used “unparliamentary language” – though added it wasn’t directed at the town.

The source told Sky News: “James made a comment. He called Alex Cunningham a s*** MP. He apologises for unparliamentary language.”

Activists climb on to prime minister’s roof

Environmental activists decided to force Rishi Sunak into action by sitting on his roof with “no new oil” banners while he was on holiday with his family in California.

The Greenpeace five were later bailed by North Yorkshire Police after scaling the Yorkshire manor and draping it in a black-oil fabric.

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‘I’m on the roof of the prime minister’s house’

Number 10 stood by its policy in the wake of the controversy, saying drilling for more oil will boost energy security and reduce bills for consumers.

While the outing seemingly had little impact on the government’s policies, the protesters can say they spent an entire August morning on the prime minister’s house.

Cockroach steals the show at Met Gala

A cockroach became an overnight sensation when it attended the prestigious Met Gala in New York.

The insect initially evaded a photographer’s best efforts to kill it, but people on social media were forced to mourn after fate eventually caught up with the roach.

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A cockroach is spotted at the Met Gala.

The Pope’s wearing a puffer?

All of us – even the biggest advocates for technological advancement – have probably seen things in AI’s rapid rise this year that have raised concerns.

Now even the Pope himself has spoken out, saying there needs to be regulation to tackle the disinformation, discrimination and distortion that AI can contribute to.

What were these incredibly strong words brought on by?

Quite possibly by an AI-generated image of the pontiff wearing a rather stylish, oversized coat.

Michael Owen’s apple throwing antics

A teenage World Cup star and a Ballon d’Or winner aged 22 – but how did England striker Michael Owen achieve such astounding heights?

Well, it all stemmed from throwing apple cores into bins.

Owen became an internet meme – and not for the first time – when he went on a podcast and explained how “everything was a challenge” to him growing up.

“You know I would eat an apple while watching the TV at night,” he said on Upfront With Simon Jordan.

“The bin would be by the TV, six metres away or whatever. I would just do it. I had the bravery to miss and for there to be a stain on the wallpaper and my mum to absolutely scream at me and send me upstairs.”

Luckily the striker’s pinpoint finishing translated to apple throwing as he told of his pride that his mother never got to shout at him for staining the walls – because he simply never missed. He said it earned him the respect that he craved from his father.

Never change, Michael.

2023, it’s been a blast. What will 2024 bring? If this year’s taught us anything, it’s that there’s no point in making predictions.

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Last UK blast furnaces days from closure as Chinese owners cut off crucial supplies

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Last UK blast furnaces days from closure as Chinese owners cut off crucial supplies

​​​​​​​The last blast furnaces left operating in Britain could see their fate sealed within days, after their Chinese owners took the decision to cut off the crucial supply of ingredients keeping them running. 

Jingye, the owner of British Steel in Scunthorpe, has, according to union representatives, cancelled future orders for the iron ore, coal and other raw materials needed to keep the furnaces running.

The upshot is that they may have to close next month – even sooner than the earliest date suggested for its closure.

Read more: Thousands of jobs at risk as British Steel consults unions over closure

The fate of the blast furnaces – the last two domestic sources of virgin steel, made from iron ore rather than recycled – is likely to be determined in a matter of days, with the Department for Business and Trade now actively pondering nationalisation.

The upshot is that even as Britain contends with a trade war across the Atlantic, it is now working against the clock to secure the future of steelmaking at Scunthorpe.

British Steel proceesing

The talks between the government and Jingye broke down last week after the Chinese company, which bought British Steel out of receivership in 2020, rejected a £500m offer of public money to replace the existing furnaces with electric arc furnaces.

More on China

The sum is the same one it offered to Tata Steel, which has shut down the other remaining UK blast furnaces in Port Talbot and is planning to build electric furnaces – which have far lower carbon emissions.

These steel workers could soon be out of work
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These steel workers could soon be out of work

However, the owners argue that the amount is too little to justify extra investment at Scunthorpe, and said last week they were now consulting on the date of shutting both the blast furnaces and the attached steelworks.

Since British Steel is the main provider of steel rails to Network Rail – as well as other construction steels available from only a few sites in the world – the closure would leave the UK more reliant on imports for critical infrastructure sites.

British Steel in action

However, since the site belongs to its Chinese owners, a decision to nationalise the site would involve radical steps government officials are wary of taking.

They also fear leaving taxpayers exposed to a potentially loss-making business for the long run.

British Steel

The dilemma has been heightened by the sharp turn in geopolitical sentiment following Donald Trump’s return to the White House.

The incipient trade war and threatened cut in American support to Europe have sparked fresh calls for countries to act urgently to secure their own supplies of critical materials, especially those used for defence and infrastructure.

Read more:
Car manufacturers fined £461m for collusion
There were no winners from Trump’s tariff gameshow

Gareth Stace, head of UK Steel, the industry lobby group, said: “Talks seem to have broken down between government and British Steel.

“My advice to government is: please, Jonathan Reynolds, Business Secretary, get back round that negotiating table, thrash out a deal, and if a deal can’t be found in the next few days, then I fear for the very future of the sector, but also here for Scunthorpe steelworks.”

British Steel declined to comment.

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Prince Andrew’s Pitch@Palace branded ‘crude attempt to enrich himself’ as Chinese spy documents set to be released

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Prince Andrew's Pitch@Palace branded 'crude attempt to enrich himself' as Chinese spy documents set to be released

Prince Andrew’s efforts to make money from his Pitch@Palace project have been branded as a “crude attempt to enrich himself” at the expense of “unsuspecting tech founders”, as new documents may shed more light on what he and his team have been attempting to sell.

Today is the deadline for documents to be released relating to Prince Andrew‘s former senior adviser Dominic Hampshire and his interactions with the alleged Chinese spy Yang Tengbo.

In February, an immigration tribunal heard how the intelligence services had contacted Mr Hampshire about Mr Yang back in 2022. Mr Yang helped set up Pitch@Palace China, a branch of the duke’s scheme to help young entrepreneurs.

The alleged Chinese spy, Yang Tengbo, has links with Prince Andrew
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The alleged Chinese spy, Yang Tengbo, has links with Prince Andrew

Pic: Pitch@Palace
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Yang Tengbo. Pic: Pitch@Palace

Judges banned Mr Yang from the UK, saying his association with a senior royal had made Prince Andrew “vulnerable” and posed a threat to national security. Mr Yang challenged that decision at the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC).

Since that hearing, media organisations have applied for certain documents relating to the case and Mr Hampshire’s support for Mr Yang to be made public. SIAC agreed to release some information of public interest. It is hoped they may include more details on deals that he was trying to do on behalf of Prince Andrew.

So what do we know about potential deals for Pitch@Palace so far?

In February, Sky News confirmed that palace officials had a meeting last summer with tech funding company StartupBootcamp to discuss a potential tie-up between them and Prince Andrew relating to his Pitch@Palace project.

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The palace wasn’t involved in the fine details of a deal but wanted guarantees to make sure it wouldn’t impact the Royal Family in the future. Sky News understands from one source that the price being discussed for Pitch was around £750,000 – there are, however, reports that a deal may have stalled.

Photos we found on the Chinese Chamber of Commerce website show an event held in Asia between StartupBootcamp and Innovate Global, believed to be an offshoot of Pitch.

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Who is alleged Chinese spy, Yang Tengbo?

Documents, released in relation to the investigations into Mr Tengbo, have also shown how much the duke has always seen Pitch as a way of potentially making money. One document from 21 August 2021 clearly states “the duke needed money at the time, and saw the relationships with China through Pitch as one possible source of funding”.

But Prince Andrew’s apparent intention to use Pitch to make money has led to concerns about whether he is unfairly using the contacts and information he gained when he was a working royal.

Norman Baker, former MP and author of books on royal finances, believes it is “a crude attempt to enrich himself” and goes against what the tech entrepreneurs thought they were signing up for.

Read more:
Who is Yang Tenbo?
Virginia Giuffre says she has days to live
Emails between Andrew and Epstein revealed

He told Sky News: “The data given by these business people was given on the basis it was an official operation and not something for Prince Andrew, and so in my view, Prince Andrew had no right legally or morally to take the data which has been collected, a huge amount of data, and sell it…

“And quite clearly if you’re going to sell it off to StartupBootcamp, that is not what people had in mind. The entrepreneurs who joined Pitch@Palace did not do so to enrich Prince Andrew,” he said.

Rich Wilson was one tech entrepreneur who was approached at the start of Pitch@Palace to sign up, but he stepped away when he spotted a clause in the contract saying they’d be entitled to 2% equity in any funding he secured.

He feels Prince Andrew is continuing to use those he made a show of supporting.

He said: “It makes me feel sick. I think it’s terrible – that he is continuing to exploit unsuspecting tech founders in this way. A lot of them, I’m quite grey and old in the tooth now, I saw it coming, but clearly most didn’t. And a lot of them were quite young.

“It’ll be their first venture and you’re learning on the trot, so to speak. So to take advantage of people in such a major way – that’s an awful, sickening thing to do.”

We approached StartupBootcamp who said they had no comment to make, and the Duke of York’s office did not respond.

With reports that a deal may have stalled, it could be a big setback for the duke – especially with questions still about how he’ll continue to pay for his home on the Windsor estate now that the King no longer gives him financial support.

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UK in talks with Brazil over ‘potential sale’ of two Royal Navy amphibious assault ships

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UK in talks with Brazil over 'potential sale' of two Royal Navy amphibious assault ships

The UK is in talks with Brazil over the “potential sale” of the Royal Navy’s two amphibious assault ships that are being ditched to cut costs, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.

Defence experts said the fact HMS Bulwark – which has only just received an expensive refit – and HMS Albion are being flogged off underlines the pressure on the defence budget even though Sir Keir Starmer keeps talking up his promises to boost expenditure.

The two warships can be used to deploy Royal Marines to shore – a vital capability at a time of growing global threats.

News of the possible sale was first revealed in Latin American media.

One report said the Royal Navy and Brazilian Navy had signed an agreement that would see the UK giving information to the Brazilians on the state of the two ships prior to any purchase.

Asked about the claim that the UK would sell the assault ships to Brazil, a Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: “We can confirm we have entered discussions with the Brazilian Navy over the potential sale of HMS Bulwark and HMS Albion.

“As announced in November, both ships are being decommissioned from the Royal Navy. Neither were planned to go back to sea before their out of service dates in the 2030s.”

More on Brazil

James Cartlidge, the shadow defence secretary, appeared to question the wisdom of the move.

“At Defence orals [House of Commons questions] on January 6th Defence Secretary John Healey said: ‘HMS Bulwark and HMS Albion were not genuine capabilities’,” Mr Cartlidge wrote in a post on social media.

“They’ve just been sold to Brazil.”

Matthew Savill, the director of military science at the Royal United Services Institute, said the plan to sell the vessels demonstrates there “is still life in both these ships”.

He said: “The fact that the UK is prepared to sell off useful amphibious capability – which could be used in evacuation operations or other cases where air transport is difficult – shows just how tight finances are even with the promised budget increase.

“The replacements for these ships are still several years away and won’t be available until the 2030s.”

Read more from Sky News:
Prince Harry’s charity row explained
US seems content to cosy up to Russia instead of imposing tariffs

Mr Savill added: “As an aside, Brazil will probably have greater amphibious capacity than the UK, having previously bought HMS Ocean, the UK’s helicopter assault ship.”

HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark entered service two decades ago.

Both are currently held at lower readiness having not been to sea since 2023 and 2017 respectively.

HMS Ocean, a helicopter-landing vessel and once the largest warship in the Royal Navy, was sold to the Brazilian Navy in 2018 after 20 years in service.

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