HMS Queen Elizabeth captain removed from post over car 'misuse': report

The captain of the British Royal Navy's prestigious warship HMS Queen Elizabeth has been removed from his command following reports that he misused an official car, according to a media report Friday.

The Royal Navy confirmed Commodore Nick Cooke-Priest had been reassigned to a new role, without giving a reason.

But navy sources told the BBC that his removal was over his use of a car of the Ministry of Defence for personal trips.

A new commanding officer has been appointed to the aircraft carrier, the report said.

The HMS Queen Elizabeth, commissioned in 2017, is the lead ship of the Queen Elizabeth class of aircraft carriers, the largest warships ever built for the Royal Navy. It is capable of carrying up to 60 aircraft.

The report noted that while the offence may appear relatively minor, it was felt that his position had become untenable and that the commanding officer must be beyond reproach.

A Royal Navy spokesman said: "We can confirm Captain Nick Cooke-Priest has been reassigned to a new role.

"We can only say that management action is ongoing and it would therefore be inappropriate to comment further," he said.

Commodore Cooke-Priest, who joined the Royal Navy in 1990, had been in command of HMS Queen Elizabeth since October.