As a result, she was unable to operate in rough weather and was frequently laid up in Dover or sheltering off the Kent coast waiting for the wind to drop.

The ferry was due to be drydocked at a European repair yard in November 2008 to be fitted with a new propeller with a view to being back in service for the Christmas 2008 period.

[5] In early 2019, Pride of Canterbury, like all P&O vessels on the Dover-to-Calais route, was flagged out to Cyprus, a measure explained by the company as motivated by tax advantages in view of Brexit.

On 21 March 2022, United Kingdom Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced that he would require P&O Ferries to rename Pride of Canterbury and other ships on the fleet which carry British names if the company was found to have breached employment regulations following the summary dismissal without notice via Zoom of 800 British seafarers who were to be replaced with cheaper overseas agency workers.

[6] On 24 March 2022, P&O Ferries CEO Peter Hebblethwaite confirmed that the management of the company illegally fired 800 British seafarers so it was expected that the ship would have to have its name changed as Shapps announced three days previously.

The fourth 'European Class' freight ferry was converted to a multi-purpose vessel for the Dover-Calais route and named MS Pride of Burgundy though she still retained a number of similarities.