London honours HMS Edinburgh, the last of the Type 42 destroyers

Watched by hundreds of people on both banks of the Thames, the Portsmouth-based warship glided under Tower Bridge - where she faced a barrage of camera flashes from eager tourists - and berthed alongside museum ship HMS Belfast, sister of her forebear which was sunk in the Arctic 71 years ago.

HMS Illustrious took all of her 22.500 tonne bulk down the river and through the Thames Barrier en route to her Greenwich moorings.

As well as HMS Edinburgh and a third ship – HMS Blyth – the Portsmouth-based ship will be in London for six days of events commemorating the longest military campaign of the Second World War.

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