Inside Britain’s most powerful warship which will guard London from drone attacks during the coronation

BRITAIN’S most powerful warship will stand guard on the Thames to shield the King — but police admit they are powerless to stop protesters aiming to ambush the Coronation.

HMS Diamond, a Type 45 destroyer has awesome firepower and radars that can deal with missiles and drones.

The radars can spot and track stealth targets the size of a cricket ball at three times the speed of sound — from 250 miles away.

They can guide up to 16 missiles simultaneously as they blast their way towards zig-zagging targets.

The Navy says the warship — which will be docked at Greenwich, South East London — is in the capital to “celebrate the Coronation”.

It is due to host a series of VIP cocktail parties and performances by the Royal Marines band.

But Naval sources say it would only take a “flick of a switch” to trigger its air defence systems.

The 500ft-long warship can carry up to 48 Sea Viper missiles.

The 16ft long missiles launch ­vertically from the ship’s foredeck.

They reach four times the speed of sound and “manoeuvre for the kill at G-forces no human can withstand”, the Navy says.

The might of HMS Diamond — which arrived at the Thames flood barrier yesterday — contrasts with the weakness of the law to deal with demonstrators.

A Met Police chief conceded that cops will be unable to prevent anti-monarchists waving placards on Saturday’s procession route — in front of a global TV audience of hundreds of millions.

It is feared eco mobs like Extinction Rebellion and Just Stop Oil will also try to disrupt events at the weekend.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan vowed that anyone suspected of criminal behaviour “camouflaged as protests” will be immediately arrested.

But he admitted: “Protest is lawful and the only time we can intervene is when it becomes criminal.

“If at any point the protest moves from being lawful to criminal then you will see extremely swift action.”

Hardline campaign group Republic say 1,700 of their members will be protesting in Trafalgar Square, on King Charles and the Queen Consort’s route from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey.

A total of 11,500 police officers will be on duty in central London — the same number that guarded Queen Elizabeth’s state funeral last September.

Met chiefs revealed there will be even more visiting VIPs this time than at the funeral.

The police response to Coronation- related events — dubbed Operation Golden Orb — is being run by the Met in a bomb-proof operations basement near Waterloo.

It swung into action earlier this week when the Stone of Destiny was transported to London — to be placed under the Coronation chair.

On the big day, snipers will be in static positions.

For the first time on a state occasion, police will use live facial recognition cameras to try and pick out suspects in the crowd wanted for criminal offences.

But Britain’s liberal laws mean the cameras cannot be used on known terrorist suspects or agitators from climate and anti-royal groups.

Republic spokesman Graham Smith said that the group has had two meetings with the Met and numerous phone conversations.

He said: “They have repeatedly said they have no concerns about Republic’s plans.”

However, he said the group had received a letter from a Home Office police powers unit warning new legislation allows cops to arrest protesters “locking on” to railings or glueing themselves to roads.

However, Mr Smith said the group received a letter from a Home Office police powers unit warning that new legislation allows officers to arrest protesters “locking on” to railings or glueing themselves to roads.

He said: “It’s a mystery why the Home Office thought it necessary to send an anonymous letter that could be interpreted as intimidation.

“Republic will not be deterred and we will be protesting.”

Fears of a lone wolf Coronation attack were reinforced by the arrest of a man in a security scare at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday.

Mr Adelekan said the incident had been reviewed as part of the Coronation security plan and police were happy with arrangements.