ABC Australia

A British Royal Navy warship on which Prince William is serving has seized cocaine worth at least 40 million pounds in a major drugs bust, the Ministry of Defence said.

The frigate HMS Iron Duke intercepted an ocean-going speedboat on Saturday several hundred miles north-east of Barbados in a joint operation with the United States Coast Guard, the Ministry said.

US Coast Guards boarded the speedboat, seized 45 bales of cocaine, weighing a total of 900 kilograms and arrested the five-man crew. The drugs were then transferred to HMS Iron Duke.

Prince William, who is second in line to the English throne, is on a two-month attachment with the Royal Navy until August 1.