It is unknown if these vessels were operated by the Royal Navy.
However, the fact that in the early 22nd centuryMalcolm Reed
felt that he could not join the navy due to his fear of water
suggests that no space branch existed. Nonetheless, it seems
likely that the ships were built by the United Kingdom, judging
from both the prefix and the names (New Zealand is a former
British colony. A ship built by New Zealand, however, would by
current conventions been prefixed HMNZ). The HMS prefix is not
exclusive to British ships, however; it is also used by the
Swedish and Saudi Arabian navies. Finally, it should be noted
that the use of HMS does not necessarily imply that Great
Britain still had a monarchy in this era, as many real-life
precedents exist where the prefix remains after the monarchy is
abolished.