She was purchased from the United Kingdom by the Romanian Navy on 14 January 2003, and renamed Regele Ferdinand (King Ferdinand) after Ferdinand I of Romania. The ship was handed over to Romania on 19 August 2004, and underwent sea trials at the same time. F221 Regele Ferdinand was commissioned into the Romanian Navy on 9 September 2004, and is the current flagship of the Romanian Navy. There has since been some controversy over the price at which she was bought.