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Claim: The United Kingdom will permanently donate its latest aircraft carrier, the HMS Prince of Wales, to the Philippines.
Rating: FALSE
Why we fact-checked this: The YouTube video bearing the claim was posted on October 9, 2024, and has over 3,041 views as of writing. YouTube channel PH Military, where the video was posted, has over 8,000 subscribers.
What the video says: At the 0:35 mark, the narrator of the video says, “The HMS Prince of Wales, one of the most advanced aircraft carriers in the Royal Navy’s fleet, is scheduled to be transferred to the Philippines as a form of strategic support from the UK to the southeast Asian country.”
The facts: The HMS Prince of Wales remains on duty with the British Royal Navy. In an October 9 post on the official X (formerly Twitter) account of UK’s Chief of Joint Operations Lieutenant General Charlie Stickland, the HMS Prince of Wales was reported to be working with F-35B Lightning jets from the 809 Naval Air Squadron and 617 Squadron.
“The 5th Gen aircraft will be put through their paces over the coming weeks as pilots earn their ‘Carrier qualifications’ in the build up to upcoming Exercise #StrikeWarrior,” the X post said.
Since September, the HMS Prince of Wales has been preparing to participate in the Exercise Strike Warrior, a major military exercise.
The UK Royal Navy website said that the exercise would “take place from October 14-27” in waters to the north and east of the UK.
After the exercise, the HMS Prince of Wales will then “continue with her winter programme including a final support period in Portsmouth” ahead of the Carrier Strike Group 2025 deployment.
Maritime issue: The misleading YouTube video mentioned that the supposed donation of the aircraft carrier to the Philippines is “an effort to strengthen regional defense and security” amid heightened tensions in the region, as China continues to assert its expansive claims over the entire South China Sea despite a 2016 arbitral ruling in favor of the Philippines.
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The UK has previously expressed its support for the Philippines and the “legally binding” arbitral ruling.
The YouTube video was also uploaded on the same day that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. raised issues on the South China Sea at the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits.
Debunked: This is not the first time that a false claim was made about the HMS Prince of Wales. Rappler fact-checked similar posts in April and May 2024, also claiming the alleged donation of the aircraft carrier to the Philippines.
Rappler also debunked several claims on alleged support from the United Kingdom:
- FACT CHECK: PH did not buy UK warship HMS Queen Elizabeth
- FACT CHECK: Marcos did not say UK Royal Navy to help patrol West Philippine Sea
- FACT CHECK: Video shows old news on UK ship in South China Sea
– Lorenz Pasion/Rappler.com
Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. You may also report dubious claims to the #FactsFirstPH tipline by messaging Rappler on Facebook or Newsbreak via Twitter direct message. You may also report through our Viber fact check chatbot. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.
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