Katherine Jenkins performs on board HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier in New York harbour

Welsh mezzo soprano Katherine Jenkins gave a special performance on board HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier against a backdrop of the New York skyline.

The Royal Navy’s flagship dropped anchor in the shadow of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline on a high-profile visit to New York.

Four years after her debut in the Big Apple, HMS Queen Elizabeth returned to the ‘city which never sleeps’ to focus on Anglo-American military, political and strategic relations.

Katherine Jenkins – the UK’s biggest selling classical artist of the century performed alongside the Royal Marines Band to an audience of over 500 distinguished high-profile business and political figures on board the 65,000-tonne warship.

The AFF is a conference hosted by the Royal Navy and led by the Department for International Trade.

It brought senior politicians, business leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs, and military leaders from both sides of the Atlantic to tackle the biggest issues facing the world.

To celebrate the United Kingdom’s “special relationship” with the United States – Katherine sang both nations’ anthems at the beginning of her performance.

Katherine said: “As a proud Welsh woman and Brit, it was wonderful to sing on board HMS Queen Elizabeth II in such an iconic setting.”

“With family now on both sides of the pond, I loved seeing the UK and the US coming together in this truly amazing way.”

The carrier was welcomed into New York by the United Kingdom’s Ambassador to the United States, Dame Karen Pierce.

“HMS Queen Elizabeth is not only the United Kingdom’s flagship, but is a fantastic demonstration of the soft power and the close working relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as the transatlantic relationship,” she said.