Prince grateful to divers who protect warship from looters

The Prince of Wales yesterday gave his personal thanks to volunteer divers who have been helping to protect the wreck of his namesake Royal Navy ship from “awful” looters who are trying to strip the Crown property for scrap metal.

The HMS Prince of Wales, which went down with 327 crew in 1941 off the coast of Malaysia, is a war grave that is being quietly protected by British divers in cooperation with the Malaysian navy, it has emerged.

The Prince, who visited RMAF Butterworth in Penang, Malaysia, said their work in preventing the ship being damaged was “marvellous” and “so appreciated”.

The Prince, a diver and former president of the British Sub-aqua Club, thanked volunteers and the military, and told them he appreciated their work “trying to keep these awful people away”. Giving them a signed photograph of the ship in 1941 as a gift, he said: “I can’t thank you enough for your fantastic work.”