After her 1943 refit trials, Illustrious sailed with Unicorn, Anson, and USS Alabama in Operation Governor. The force was part of Allied efforts to distract Germany while Sicily was the real invasion objective. Its appearance in northern waters also presented a powerful carrier-and-battleship group if Tirpitz came out, though no engagement followed. The ships later escorted RMS Queen Mary while she carried Winston Churchill toward the Quebec Conference, remaining with her through the zone of German air threat. Illustrious returned to Greenock once Queen Mary had passed beyond the range of German aircraft.
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Operation Governor and Queen Mary escort duty
Illustrious joined a Norwegian Sea diversion intended to complicate Germany's assessment of the Sicily invasion, then protected Queen Mary carrying Churchill toward Quebec.