Prince Charles cancels visit to aircraft carrier after British fighter crash

Prince Charles arrives for a visit to Royal Warrant Holder, J Barbour And Sons Ltd, in South Shields, Tyne & Wear, England, Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021. (AP Photo/Scott Heppell, pool)

CAIRO — Prince Charles has cancelled a planned visit to the HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier after an F35B jet from the ship crashed into the Mediterranean Sea.

The F35 fighter from Britain's biggest aircraft carrier crashed into the Mediterranean Sea on Wednesday, though the pilot ejected and was safely returned to the ship.

Charles, on a visit to Egypt, had been due to visit the ship which is off Alexandria. But the visit to the ship was cancelled for operational reasons, a spokesman said.

The Lockheed Martin F35B is capable of conducting air-to-surface, electronic warfare, intelligence gathering and air-to-air missions simultaneously, according to the British air force. It can operate undetected in hostile airspace due to secret technology.

(Reporting by Peter Nicholls, writing by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Alistair Smout)