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• 20th Century

10 Facts About Royal Yacht Britannia

Peta Stamper

28 nov 2022.

The 83rd and last in a long line of royal yachts, HMY Britannia has become one of the most famous ships in the world. Now permanently moored at Edinburgh’s Port of Leith, the floating palace is a visitor attraction welcoming some 300,000 people aboard each year.

For Queen Elizabeth II, Britannia was the ideal residence for state visits and peaceful royal family holidays and honeymoons. For the British public, Britannia was a symbol of Commonwealth. For the 220 naval officers who lived aboard Britannia , and the royal family, the 412-foot-long yacht was home.

Having travelled more than a million nautical miles over 44 years of service to the British Crown, Her Majesty’s beloved boat was decommissioned in 1997. Here are 10 facts about life aboard HMY Britannia.

1. Britannia was launched by Queen Elizabeth II on 16 April 1953 using a bottle of wine, not champagne

Champagne is traditionally smashed against a ship’s hull during launching ceremonies. However, in a post-war climate champagne was seen as too frivolous, so a bottle of Empire wine was used instead.

Britannia launched from the John Brown & Company shipyard in Clydebank, Scotland.

2. Britannia was the 83rd Royal Yacht

King George VI , Elizabeth II’s father, had first commissioned the royal yacht that would become Britannia in 1952. The previous official boat had belonged to Queen Victoria and was rarely used. The tradition of royal yachts had been started by Charles II in 1660.

George decided that the Royal Yacht Britannia should both be a regal vessel as well as a functional one.

3. Britannia had two emergency functions

Britannia was designed to be converted into a hospital ship in time of war, although that function was never used. Additionally, as part of the Cold War plan Operation Candid, in the event of nuclear war the ship would become a refuge off the north-west coast of Scotland for the Queen and Prince Philip.

4. Her maiden voyage was from Portsmouth to Grand Harbour in Malta

She carried Prince Charles and Princess Anne to Malta to meet the Queen and Prince Philip at the end of the royal couple’s Commonwealth tour. The Queen stepped aboard Britannia for the first time in Tobruk on 1 May 1954.

Over the next 43 years, Britannia would transport the Queen, members of the Royal Family and various dignitaries on some 696 foreign visits.

The HMY Britannia on a visit by the Queen to Canada in 1964

Image Credit: Royal Canadian Navy, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

5. Britannia hosted some of the 20th century’s most notable figures

In July 1959, Britannia sailed the newly opened Saint Lawrence Seaway to Chicago where she docked, making the Queen the first British monarch to visit the city. US President Dwight Eisenhower hopped aboard Britannia for part of the journey.

In later years, Presidents Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton would also step aboard. Charles and Diana, the Prince and Princess of Wales, took their honeymoon cruise on Britannia in 1981.

6. The crew were volunteers from the Royal Navy

After 365 days’ service, crew members could be admitted to the Permanent Royal Yacht Service as Royal Yachtsmen (‘Yotties’) and serve until they either chose to leave or were dismissed. As a result, some yachtsmen served on  Britannia  for over 20 years.

The crew also included a detachment of Royal Marines, who would dive underneath the ship each day while moored away from home to check for mines or other threats.

7. All royal children were allocated a ‘Sea Daddy’ on board the ship

The ‘sea daddies’ were primarily tasked with looking after the children and keeping them entertained (games, picnics and water fights) during voyages. They also oversaw the children’s chores, including cleaning the life rafts.

8. There was a ‘Jelly Room’ onboard for the royal children

The yacht had a total of three galley kitchens where Buckingham Palace ‘s chefs prepared meals. Among these galleys was a chilled room called the ‘Jelly Room’ for the sole purpose of storing royal children’s jellied desserts.

9. It cost around £11 million every year to run Britannica

The cost of running Britannia was always an issue. In 1994, another expensive refit for the ageing vessel was proposed. Whether or not to refit or commission a new royal yacht entirely came down to the election result of 1997. With repairs at a proposed cost of £17 million, Tony Blair’s new Labour government were unwilling to commit public funds to replace Britannica.

HMY Britannia in 1997, London

Image Credit: Chris Allen, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

10. All the clocks on board remain stopped at 3:01pm

In December 1997,  Britannia was officially decommissioned. The clocks have been kept at 3:01pm – the exact moment the Queen went ashore for the last time following the ship’s decommissioning ceremony, during which the Queen shed a rare public tear.

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Britannia was the first Royal Yacht to be built with complete ocean-going capacity and designed as a Royal residence to entertain guests around the world. When she was decommissioned in 1997, it marked the end of a long tradition of British Royal Yachts, dating back to 1660 and the reign of Charles II.

There is additional information about Britannia's specifications and construction contained in the technical paper .

VICTORIA & ALBERT III

Britannia's predecessor was the Victoria & Albert III - the first Royal Yacht not to be powered by sail. It was built for Queen Victoria, but she never stepped on board, concerned about the yacht's stability. King Edward VII did sail on the Victoria & Albert, mainly in local waters and the Mediterranean. Having served four sovereigns over 38 years and not left Northern Europe since 1911, the Victoria & Albert was decommissioned in 1939. She was eventually broken up for scrap at Faslane in 1954

THE LAST ROYAL YACHT

It was decided that a new Royal Yacht should be commissioned that could travel the globe and double as a hospital ship in time of war. It was also hoped a convalescence cruise would help the King's ailing health. The John Brown & Co shipyard in Clydebank received the order from the Admiralty for a new ship on 4 February, 1952. Sadly King George VI passed away two days later. Not only did Queen Elizabeth II now have to prepare for her new role, but she also had responsibility for the commissioning of the new Royal Yacht.

BUILT IN SCOTLAND

John Brown & Co was one of the most famous shipyards in the world, having built the famous liners Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary. The keel of the new, as yet unnamed, Royal Yacht was laid down in June 1952. One of the last fully-riveted ships to be built with a remarkably smooth painted hull, she was finally ready to be launched on 16 April, 1953. The ship's name was a closely guarded secret, only being revealed when Queen Elizabeth II smashed a bottle of Empire wine (Champagne was considered too extravagant in post-war Britain) and announced to the expectant crowds "I name this ship Britannia… I wish success to her and all who sail in her". You can read more about getting Britannia ready for Royal service by downloading Letters from a Fish to his Admiral (below), a series of notes and letters written by Acting Captain J S Dalglish, the Officer in charge of commissioning Britannia. John Brown continued as a shipyard until they sadly closed in 2001.

BRITANNIA COMMISSIONED

After the launch, Britannia's building work continued as her funnel and masts were installed, before beginning sea trials on 3 November 1953 off the West Coast of Scotland. On successful completion, she was commissioned into the Royal Navy on 11 January 1954. On 22 April, Britannia sailed into her first overseas port as she entered Grand Harbour, Malta. During 44 years in Royal service Britannia sailed the equivalent of once round the world for each year, calling at over 600 ports in 135 countries, including the United States of America, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

ROYAL HONEYMOONS

Britannia was an ideal Royal honeymoon venue. The Royal Yacht was very private and could sail to secluded locations. Four Royal honeymoons were enjoyed on board, Princess Margaret and Anthony Armstrong-Jones being the first in 1960.

THE FIRST DAY AT SEA

As well as hosting state functions, Britannia was an ambassador for British business, promoting trade and industry around the globe. These British overseas trade missions were known as ‘Sea Days’ and an invitation to come aboard proved irresistible to the world’s leading business and political figures. The Overseas Trade Board estimated that £3 billion was made for the Exchequer as a result of commercial days on Britannia between 1991 and 1995 alone.

EVACUATION OF ADEN, SOUTH YEMEN

At 20:00 on 17 January 1986, the Yacht dropped anchor at Khormaksar Beach. Civil war had broken out in South Yemen and ships were urgently required to evacuate British nationals and others trapped by fighting. As a non-combatant Royal Navy ship, Britannia would be able to enter territorial waters without further inflaming the conflict.

DECOMMISSION

"Looking back over forty-four years we can all reflect with pride and gratitude upon this great ship which has served the country, the Royal Navy and my family with such distinction." - Queen Elizabeth II. View the entire Paying-Off Ceremony letter below.

OPENED AS A VISITOR ATTRACTION

After arriving in Leith, Edinburgh on 5 May 1998, The Royal Yacht Britannia opened as a visitor attraction on the 19 October 1998.

BRITANNIA WELCOMED 5 MILLION VISITORS

The Royal Yacht Britannia, now a five-star visitor attraction and exclusive evening events venue, celebrated welcoming 5 million visitors since opening in 1998.

OUR LUXURY FLOATING HOTEL, FINGAL, OPENED

In January 2019, our luxury floating hotel Fingal opened to the public. Fingal, a former Northern Lighthouse Board tender, had undergone a £5 million development to become a 22 cabin five-star floating hotel, berthed moments away from Britannia. In September 2023, Fingal was awarded AA Hotel of the Year Scotland.

TRIPADVISOR'S NO.1 UK ATTRACTION 2023

The Royal Yacht Britannia was voted Tripadvisor's No.1 UK Attraction 2023. What a wonderful accolade for our team who passionately provide a five-star customer experience to ensure each and every visitor has a memorable time on board. Britannia had previously been awarded this prestigious accolade in 2014.

CELEBRATING BRITANNIA'S 25 YEARS

19 October 2023 marks 25 wonderful years since Britannia opened to the public as a visitor attraction. During this time we have welcomed over 7 million visitors, a brilliant milestone to mark the occasion. We thank each and every visitor who has stepped aboard and look forward to welcoming many more to share our history.

Visiting Britannia

TRIPADVISOR'S NO.1 UK ATTRACTION 2023 - 2024

The Royal Yacht Britannia is scheduled to be closed 7 – 10 October for planned building works out with our control.

Click on the Visit page  for more information before you visit.

Step aboard to enjoy a great day out!

Fingal Hotel

Get away from the everyday aboard Britannia’s sister ship, Fingal.  Extend your visit with a stay in one of Fingal’s luxurious cabins, your own oasis by the sea. 

TRIPADVISOR'S NO.1 UK LUXURY HOTEL TRIPADVISOR'S NO.1 UK SMALL & BOUTIQUE HOTEL AA Hotel of the Year Scotland, AA five-star hotel and 2 AA Rosettes

Learn more: fingal.co.uk

The Story Behind the Royal Family's Yacht, Britannia

The ship hosted four royal honeymoons in its 44 years of service.

Often referred to as the last royal yacht, the Britannia was decommissioned in 1997, and despite some efforts , there are no signs of a new one in the near future. Though its seafaring days may be behind it (the ship now serves as a tourist attraction in Edinburgh, Scotland), the Britannia remains an important artifact and a peek behind the curtain of royal life—it even garnered a prominent place in the fifth season of The Crown . Below, a few of its most notable moments throughout history.

It was the first royal yacht designed for ocean travel.

The ship was built by John Brown & Co at the same shipyard in Clydebank, Scotland in the same location the famous ocean liners the Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary were constructed. With 12,000 horsepower, the ship could travel at a maximum 22.5 knots (approximately 25 miles per hour), ideal for ocean-going diplomacy. Prior to its launch in 1953, the royal family used ships from the Royal Navy or even passenger liners for the overseas portions of the royal tour.

In its 44 years of service, the HMY Britannia traveled around 1.1 million miles.

It was commissioned just two days before the death of King George VI.

The King was already in failing health by the time the designs for the HMY Britannia were submitted, and the hope was that traveling might help alleviate some of his symptoms. However, just two days after the John Brown shipyard in Clydebank, Scotland received the order the King passed away on February 6, 1952.

It would take just over a year for the ship to be completed, during which time its name remained a secret—it wasn't announced until the ship's official launch in April of 1953, less than two months before the Queen's coronation . Elizabeth cracked a bottle of English wine (in the post-war era, champagne was considered too extravagant for the launch of a ship) and announced, "I name this ship Britannia … I wish success to her and all who sail in her."

It was created to double as a hospital.

When Britannia was first envisioned, less than a decade after the end of World War II, the designers sought to make it as functional as possible, crafting a space that could be converted from an ocean-going royal residence to a seafaring hospital during any possible future wartime. The main veranda was laid out and re-enforced so that it could support a helicopter landing and the laundry was made much larger than on a standard naval vessel to accommodate the potential patients. Though the ship was never actually put to that purpose, it was pressed into service on a rescue mission to help evacuate European nationals from South Yemen in 1986.

The ship was home to a lot of history.

Long before it became a floating museum, the Britannia had an eye for history. The gold and white binnacle housed on the ship's veranda deck was originally part of the HMY Royal George , a royal yacht that served Queen Victoria . Likewise, some of the bed linens used by Queen Elizabeth aboard the vessel were originally made for Victoria's bed for one of the previous royal yachts.

Britannia's steering wheel was lifted from her namesake, the racing yacht HMY Britannia , built in 1893 for King Edward VII .

It was redesigned to be less opulent.

Despite the sense of luxury that the term "royal yacht" inspires, the Queen and Prince Philip were actually concerned when they began overseeing the project in 1952 that the original interior design plans by the design firm McInnes Gardner & Partners were too lavish for a country still recovering from the war. The interiors were ultimately redesigned by Sir Hugh Casson and received very minimal updates throughout her 44 years of service.

But it still had homey touches—by royal standards.

Suffice to say that even low-key royal living is a fairly high class. In addition to the 56-seat State Dining Room, which hosted luminaries including Winston Churchill, Noel Coward, Nelson Mandela, and multiple US Presidents, the ship also sported a formal staircase where the Queen would greet guests, separate bedrooms and sitting rooms for both Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh, and a phone system designed to match the unique configurations of Buckingham Palace's telephones.

In the early years of the Britannia's life it was also home to the Queen's Rolls-Royce Phantom V which was hoisted and lowered from a special garage compartment at port so that the Queen could drive her own car at each location. The space was ever so slightly too small, forcing the bumpers to be removed in order to get it into the garage without damage and then refitted when the car was removed. Ultimately Elizabeth began using cars provided for her at port instead and the garage was converted into a storage area for beer.

The steering crew couldn't see where they were going.

Life on board the HMY Britannia was far from typical for her crew. To begin with, due to the prestige and pressure of the position, the commanding officer of the royal yacht was always a flag officer, most commonly a Rear Admiral, although the first two to serve were Vice Admirals, and Britannia 's final CO was a Commodore.

While working, the crew reportedly used hand signals to communicate rather than shouting orders, in order to maintain a sense of quiet and calm for the royal residents. It was also the last ship in the royal navy where the crew members slept in hammocks, a practice that they maintained until 1973.

Perhaps the most unusual element of the ship's functioning, though, was the steering. While on most ships, the steering wheel sits on the bridge, overlooking the front of the vessel, Britannia 's was on the deck below, in the wheelhouse, which meant that the yachtsmen who were actually doing the steering couldn't see where they were going. The crew got around this rather surprising pitfall by using voice pipes from the bridge to confer navigational orders.

It was a royal honeymoon essential.

No fewer than four royal couples celebrated their honeymoons in the HMY Britannia 's honeymoon suite (the only room onboard with a double bed.)

Princess Margaret started the tradition in 1960 for her Caribbean honeymoon with Anthony Armstrong-Jones , a quiet, formal affair where dinners were taken in full evening dress every night. Things didn't go quite as smoothly for Princess Anne on her honeymoon with Captain Mark Phillips in 1973—storms and 20-foot waves left the couple stricken with seasickness for the first week of their Caribbean cruise. Prince Charles and Princess Diana famously spent their 1981 honeymoon on a Mediterranean cruise aboard the yacht. The crew managed to duck the press so efficiently they garnered the nickname "the ghost ship." The final royal honeymoon aboard the Britannia was taken by Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson , Duchess of York in 1986 when the couple traveled around the Azores.

And a family vacation spot.

In addition to her diplomatic duties on royal tours and her service as a post-wedding retreat, the Britannia was also a vessel for family vacations. During the summer months, the royal family would often take off on what became known as the Western Isles tour, cruising around the western isles of Scotland. During the trip, the family would play games and have barbecues on the islands. The stairway off of the veranda was sometimes even converted into a waterslide for the younger royals. The tour often included a stop off at the Castle of Mey to visit the Queen Mother, then making berth in Aberdeen so that the Queen could travel to her favorite summer home, Balmoral .

The Queen openly wept when HMY Britannia was decommissioned in 1997.

With so many memories around the yacht, it's not hard to understand why the decommissioning of the Britannia was upsetting for the royal family. Though plans were initially drawn up for a replacement yacht, the government ultimately determined not to fund the effort. After the Queen officially took her leave of it in 1997, the ship was placed in the port of Leith in Scotland where it serves as a floating museum and events venue . All of the clocks on board remain stopped at 3:01, the exact time that Her Majesty disembarked for the last time.

It was used for a reception for Zara Phillips before her wedding.

Though it's no longer used as their private vessel, the Britannia 's connection to the royal family didn't end in 1997. In 2011 on the night before her wedding, the Queen's oldest granddaughter Zara Phillips contracted the ship for a reception. Though her grandmother wasn't in attendance Zara celebrated her upcoming marriage to Mike Tindall onboard along with her mother and her cousins Prince Harry, Prince William and Kate, Princess Eugenie, and Princess Beatrice.

Lauren Hubbard is a freelance writer and Town & Country contributor who covers beauty, shopping, entertainment, travel, home decor, wine, and cocktails.

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The Royal Yacht Britannia Has a Fascinating History—Here's Everything You Should Know

It doesn't get more majestic than Queen Elizabeth II's yacht.

“Britannia is special for a number of reasons,” Prince Phillip once said. “Almost every previous sovereign has been responsible for building a church, a castle, a palace or just a house. The only comparable structure in the present reign is Britannia. As such she is a splendid example of contemporary British design and technology.”

Although she retired from service in 1997, today the Britannia, one of many of the world's grandest yachts , is docked in Edinburgh, where she is open as a visitors’ attraction and host of private events. Below we give you all the Royal Yacht Britannia facts you might want to know, from who owns the yacht now to why she was decommissioned to how fast she is to how to get tickets to visit. Britannia was, after all, the one place the queen said she could “truly relax,” so why not see why for yourself?

Royal Yacht Britania Facts and History

On February 4, 1952, John Brown & Co shipyard in Clydebank, Scotland, received the order from the Admiralty to build a new Royal Yacht to travel the globe and double as a hospital ship in times of war, according to the royal yacht's website . King George VI passed away two days after, sadly, and so on April 16, 1953, the newly crowned Queen Elizabeth II announced the yacht’s new name as the ship was revealed.

"I name this ship Britannia,” she said. “I wish success to her and all who sail in her." Britannia was commissioned into the Royal Navy in January 1954 and by April of that year sailed into her first overseas port: Grand Harbour, Malta.

The queen and The Duke of Edinburgh worked with interior designer Sir Hugh Casson for the ship to serve as both a functional Royal Navy vessel and an elegant royal residence. Queen Elizabeth II selected deep blue for Britannia’s hull, instead of the more traditional black. Its Naval crew included 220 Yachtsmen, 20 officers, and three season officers—plus a Royal Marines Band of 26 men during Royal Tours.

All of them might have had to change uniform up to six times a day, so the laundry service on board worked nonstop. The yacht also engaged in British overseas trade missions known as Sea Days and made an estimated £3 billion for the Exchequer between 1991 and 1995 alone.

The ship’s wheel was taken from King Edward VII’s racing yacht, also named Britannia, according to Boat International , and the 126-meter ship could reach speeds of 22.75 knots, or a seagoing cruising speed of 21 knots, according to Super Yacht Times . Other fun facts: The yacht could produce her own fresh water from sea water, and shouting was forbidden aboard to preserve tranquility, favoring hand signals for Naval orders instead.

Over the next 44 years, the Britannia would sail the equivalent of once around the world for each year, in total visiting 600 ports in 135 countries. Princess Margaret and Anthony Armstrong-Jones were the first of four couples to honeymoon on the ship in 1960, gifting them all privacy to sail to secluded locations. Prince Charles and Princess Diana followed in 1981 on the Mediterranean as well as Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips before them in 1973 in the Caribbean and Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson in 1986 in the Azores.

For family vacations aboard the ship, games, treasure hunts, plays, and picnics were organized, and on warm days the children could play in an inflatable paddling pool on the Verandah Deck.

In the Sun Lounge, the queen especially enjoyed taking breakfast and afternoon tea with views through large picture windows, a space you can see replicated in the TV show The Crown. Although no filming took place on board the Britannia for the show, researchers ensured scenes aboard it were accurate. In the queen’s bedroom, the resemblance is seen down to the decorative wall light fittings and embroidered silk panel above her bed that had been specially commissioned.

In 1997, the ship was decommissioned after the government decided the costs to refit it would be too great. On its final day in her service that followed a farewell tour around the U.K., the queen openly wept as the Band of HM Royal Marines played "Highland Cathedral."

"Looking back over 44 years we can all reflect with pride and gratitude upon this great ship which has served the country, the Royal Navy and my family with such distinction," Queen Elizabeth II said. All clocks on the ship stopped at 15:01, the exact time the Queen disembarked from the yacht for the final time, and they would remain at that time until the present.

How to Tour the Royal Yacht Britania

Today the yacht is owned by Royal Yacht Britannia Trus t, and all revenue it generates goes to the yacht’s maintenance and preservation. Ticketed entry allows you to step into state rooms like the Sun Lounge, the State Dining Room and State Drawing Room, in addition to the working side of the ship in the Crew’s Quarters, Laundry and gleaming Engine Room. Along the way you will see original artifacts from the shop—95 percent of which is on loan from The Royal Collection.

How to Visit the Royal Britania

You can visit the Britannia any day of the year on Edinburgh’s waterfront. Hours vary by season, and you can find them listed and purchase tickets on the yacht’s website . Private tours are also available, and you can visit the Royal Deck Tearoom, where the Royal Family hosted cocktail parties and receptions, for drinks, meals and scones. Additionally, the Britannia hosts special ticketed events for New Year’s and other occasions, and event spaces can be booked as well.

While you are in Edinburgh, you can also stay on the Fingal , a neighboring yacht-turned-floating-hotel, which is a seven-minute walk from the Britannia, and dine at its Lighthouse Restaurant & Bar, which serves breakfast, afternoon tea, dinner, and cocktails.

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Britannia : Last British royal yacht, but also hospital ship

Britannia was the last ship built for the Royal Family of England. Designed as a hospital ship, she was intended to serve a dual purpose: to accommodate state visits and official receptions, but also to take care of war wounded in times of need. For 44 years, she sailed more than one million miles before being decommissioned in 1997.

Succeeding the royal ship Victoria and Albert

Before the conception of Britannia, its predecessor Albert and Victoria was the first royal yacht not to be powered by sail . Built for Queen Victoria, she never set foot on board, concerned about the stability of the vessel. King Edward VII sailed on board several times, mainly in the Mediterranean. Having served 4 sovereigns in 38 years and not having left Europe since 1911, the Victoria and Albert was decommissioned in 1939 and demolished at Faslane (Royal Navy base) in 1954.

A royal yacht, but also a hospital ship

In 1938, the Admiralty (the political and administrative body managing the Royal Navy) considered the possibility of building a new ship. It was decided to build a new royal yacht, which could both travel the world and serve as a hospital ship in times of war. This project was initiated by King George VI, who was very interested in the design. The latter was ill and it was thought that a convalescent cruise on board this new ship would help the King's fragile health. The project was launched and specifications were sent in 1939 to the main shipbuilders of the country at the time. But the advent of the war brought the project to a halt.

This one was relaunched in 1951 on the basis of the 1939 design, but in a smaller size. This new hospital ship was integrated into the rearmament program and used in peacetime as a royal ship. She was the first royal yacht to offer ocean-going capability, capable of sailing in both tropical and Arctic waters, with a continuous speed of 21 knots and a range of 2,000 miles at 20 knots. For cost savings, the displacement is set at 4euros000 tons and the size at 312 feet (95 m).

Designing a dual-purpose ship is not easy. Some features add value to a royal ship without being essential. They do, however, become essential in the case of a hospital ship. For example, stabilizers, air conditioning units and a large laundry are installed.

As a royal ship, the "White Ensign" (white flag of the White Squadron of the Royal Navy represented by a red cross on a white background with a Union Jack) had to appear on the ship. It was then led by a professional crew . In its 2nd function, the ship was then to fly the "Red Ensign" (red flag) and be operated by a merchant service crew .

As a hospital ship, the ship must be able to accommodate 200 patients in the aft section. While the majority of patients are medical and surgical cases requiring normal hospital conditions, provision must be made for zymotic diseases (acute infections) and tuberculosis. The former will be accommodated in glass cabins built in the lounge with adequate sanitary facilities and isolated from the rest of the ship. Tuberculosis cases requiring "fresh air" will be accommodated in a part of the veranda deck. There will also be an operating room, adjacent sterilization and anesthesia rooms, as well as specialized services such as an ophthalmology room, a physiotherapy room, a pathology laboratory and a radiology room with adjacent darkroom. Full dental facilities, including a laboratory, will be located on the main deck. For the care and treatment of patients, the Navy's medical staff will include eight physicians and dentists, five nurses and 47 sailors.

A modern look, a sumptuous design

Britannia's appearance is modern for its time, with a clipper bow and a cruiser stern, a design preferred to the old traditional royal yacht design. She has three masts, as do all royal yachts . The Royal Standard is carried on the main mast, the Lord Admiral's flag on the bow and the Union Flag on the mizzen mast. The aft superstructure is slightly larger than desired from an aesthetic point of view. This architecture allows the installation of the royal and state apartments, as well as the living spaces dedicated to the royal staff. The crew will be housed on the bow. The ship also features a main staircase, an elevator, guest cabins, several kitchens, large reception rooms, prestigious dining rooms

The main dining room is the grandest of Britannia's living spaces. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have hosted some of the world's most powerful people here: Sir Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela, Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher. The aft deck area allows the royal family to relax in the sun, playing shuffleboard or field hockey, treasure hunts, water fights. Prince Philip sometimes set up his painting easel here and a free standing pool allowed the royal family to bathe if they wished. The foredeck hosted plays or concerts for the pleasure of the crew and all the people on board. The spacious and elegant saloon served as both a place for the royal family to relax and as a reception room, accommodating up to 250 guests.

Britannia was also the only ship of the Royal Navy to have a permanent laundry on board. The 250 crew members (including 21 officers) could change their uniforms up to 6 times a day. Thus, the washing machines, dryers and steam presses were in constant operation. There was also a NAAFI store on the ship, so that everyone could stock up with whatever they were looking for, from toothpaste to souvenir gifts.

2 years of construction and reliability

7 builders were in the running to win the contract. Finally, the John Brown & Co shipyard in Clydebank, Scotland received the order for this new ship on February 4, 1952. It is one of the most famous shipyards in the world, having built the famous liners Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary.

Unfortunately, King George VI, Queen Elizabeth's father, never saw the bow of the ship as he died two days later. His daughter succeeded him on the throne and took over the construction of the ship. Among the requirements, the ship had to be completed by the end of 1953 or early spring 1954 at the latest. A complicated deadline given the shortage of materials in these post-war times. The keel was laid on June 16, 1952, and the ship was launched on April 16, 1953.

The name of the ship remained a secret until the Queen broke a bottle of Empire wine (champagne was considered too extravagant in post-war Britain) and announced "I name this ship Britannia. I wish her success and all those who will sail on her."

Work continued for some time, including the installation of the chimney and masts. Sea trials began on November 3, 1953 off the west coast of Scotland. Britannia was commissioned by the Royal Navy on January 11, 1954.

On April 22, Britannia made her first sail across the Channel to Malta . For 44 years, she sailed the equivalent of a round-the-world voyage each year, calling at more than 600 ports in 135 countries, including the United States, Australia , Canada and New Zealand. Her fuel tank of 330 tons and her fresh water tank of 120 tons could be increased to 490 tons and 195 tons respectively for long voyages, but remained mostly empty.

A ship to represent England

For 44 years, Britannia served both as a royal residence to host state visits (968) and official receptions, but also as a haven for family vacations. It will also be the witness of 4 royal honeymoons, the ambassador of British business, promoting trade and industry around the world or involved in the evacuation of British nationals during the Yemen war in 1986.

Her decommissioning in 1997 marked the end of a long tradition of British royal yachts , which began in 1680 during the reign of Charles II. She is the last ship of a fleet of 83 British royal yachts . Today Britannia no longer sails, but can be visited and hosts a hotel-restaurant. She also hosts many events.

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Running a tight ship: 14 facts about the HMY Britannia

For The Queen, the tourist attraction Britannia was once a home away from home. Here are 14 facts about this unique royal residence.

1. She was the last ship in the Royal Navy in which the sailors slept in hammocks.

2. The only ship in the world whose captain, by tradition, was always an Admiral (until 1995, when a Commodore was appointed)

3. Orders were given to the ship’s company by hand signal to preserve tranquility.

4. Facilities included a garage for a Phantom Five Rolls-Royce or, occasionally, the royal Land Rover. The Rolls could only be squeezed into the garage by removing the bumpers and winching it on and off the ship was no easy task.

5. Some of the furniture was designed by Prince Albert in 1856.

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6. In order to prevent untidiness, flags, when dressed, are unfurled from and stowed in the funnel.

7. The wheel came from Edward VII’s racing yacht, also named Britannia.

8. Her Majesty’s bed linen had been bought for Queen Victoria’s bedroom on the previous royal yacht, the Victoria and Albert. It’s embossed with the personal monogram ‘HM The Queen’.

9. The Wardroom played ‘Wombat Tennis’ with a soft toy presented by a lady in waiting. It was thrown at the ceiling fan, then batted around the room.

10. Britannia is 412ft of streamlined elegance, with no rivet marks and no name on her side.

11. During the 44 years of her life, she sailed more than one million miles, the equivalent of once round the world for each year, calling at more than 600 ports in 135 countries.

12. Britannia was manned by 220 yachtsmen, 21 officers and three season officers and a Royal Marine band of 26 on royal tours.

13. She was the only vessel in the Navy to have its own 24-hour laundry. Intended to double as a hospital ship, Britannia was fitted with stabilisers and has what is considered a large laundry, although it hardly looks big in relation to the requirements of a complement of 270 officers and crew needing to be spotlessly turned out, often in sweltering temperatures.

14. The 1930s racing yacht Bloodhound, moored beside Britannia and owned by The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh from 1962 to 1969, can be hired for private day-sailing from Oban Marina around Scotland’s west coast. She is manned by an experienced crew, including former royal yachtsmen.

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Preserving Australia's Naval History

The Royal Yacht Britannia

A.N. Other · Jun 6, 1983 · Print This Page

THE ROYAL YACHT BRITANNIA , named and launched by the Queen at Clydebank (Scotland) in 1953, serves as an official and private residence for the Queen and other members of the Royal Family when they are engaged on visits overseas or are voyaging in home waters. The yacht also takes part in some naval exercises and undertakes routine hydrographic tasks while at sea.

The decision to build the yacht as a replacement for the 50-year-old yacht Victoria and Albert , then no longer seaworthy, was announced by the Admiralty (now the Ministry of Defence, Navy Department) in October 1951. Britannia was designed for two functions: (1) the royal yacht in peace time, (2) she has the speed and special facilities which would enable conversion to a hospital ship in time of war. The ship has a modern clipper bow and modified cruiser stern instead of the traditional swan bow and counter stern of previous royal yachts.

Built by John Brown’s (Clydebank) Ltd, Britannia was ordered in February 1952, and completed in January 1954. The total construction cost £2.1 million. Her specifications include the following:

Merchant ship practice was followed in Britannia’s construction, and the structural plans were submitted to Lloyd’s Register of Shipping. In their final form they were approved by Lloyd’s and the Admiralty.

Refits and docking usually take place in the Royal Dockyard, Portsmouth. The first major refit of the ship since her launching took place in 1972 and 1973: the main task completed was the improvement of accommodation for the crew and the installation of an air conditioning system for their quarters.

The royal apartments are aft on the shelter deck and the royal staff accommodation is on the lower deck.

(In wartime the after part would have wards accommodating up to 200 patients). The royal and state apartments contain some of the furniture from the Victoria and Albert. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh took a personal interest in the interior decorations, the choice of furnishings and the general fitting-out of the royal yacht.

The yacht is an independent command, administered personally by the Flag Officer, Royal Yachts. He is normally appointed as an extra equerry to the Queen and, as such, is a member of the royal household. Britannia’s crew numbers 21 officers and 256 men when members of the royal family are embarked or when the vessel undertakes a long ocean voyage. Officers are normally appointed for two-year periods of duty. Half the ratings are permanent crew members and remain attached to the ship for the rest of their service careers; the others are attached to the yacht for two-year periods only. They are all volunteers from the Royal Navy, but receive no special benefits in terms of pay, allowances or leave.

Traditions of dress aboard the royal yacht include the wearing by seamen of naval uniform with the jumper inside the top of the trousers, which are finished at the back with a black silk bow. On all blue uniforms, ratings wear white badges instead of the red which are customary in the Royal Navy. So far as possible orders on the upper deck are executed without spoken words or commands, and by long tradition the customary naval mark of respect of piping the side is paid only to the Queen.

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Everything you need to know about Queen Elizabeth’s Yacht Britannia

HMY Britannia by Tower Bridge. Credit: Lynda Poulter via Wikimedia Commons.

In service from 1954 until 1997, HMY Britannia is the former royal yacht of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. She was the 83rd such vessel since King Charles II acceded to the British throne in 1660 and had HMY Mary built for him by the Dutch East India Company, and the second royal yacht to bear the name, the first being a racing cutter built for the Prince of Wales in 1893.

During her 43-year career, the yacht travelled more than a million nautical miles around the globe. Today, she is an award-winning visitor attraction and evening events venue permanently berthed at Ocean Terminal, Leith, in Edinburgh.

HMY Britannia was built in Scotland at the shipyard of John Brown & Co. Ltd. in Clydebank, West Dumbartonshire. It was launched by the Queen on 16 April 1953 and commissioned on 11 January 1954.

She sailed on her maiden voyage from Portsmouth to Grand Harbour, Malta, on 14 April 1954, carrying Prince Charles and Princess Anne to Malta, to Malta in order for them to meet their parents at the end of the royal couple’s Commonwealth Tour.

On 20 July 1959,  Britannia  sailed the newly opened Saint Lawrence Seaway en route to Chicago, where she docked, making the Queen the first Canadian monarch to visit the city. US President Dwight D. Eisenhower was aboard  Britannia  for part of this cruise; Presidents Ford, Reagan and Clinton were subsequently welcomed aboard the yacht.

Britannia  was designed to be converted into a hospital ship in time of war, with space for an estimated 200 patients. Although the ship was never used in this capacity, as she sailed down the Red Sea in January 1986, en route to Australia, she was asked to play the equally challenging role of rescue ship, to evacuate British nationals and others trapped in South Yemen, where civil war had broken out. Moreover, in the event of nuclear war, Britannia was to be used as a refuge and base of operations for the Queen. The plan, codenamed “Python system”, would have had the ship located on the northwest coast of Scotland in sea lochs with Her Majesty, the Duke of Edinburgh, and the Home Secretary safely on board.

The royal yacht played host to four royal honeymoons: Princess Margaret and Anthony Armstrong-Jones visited the West Indies in 1960; Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips also chose the Caribbean in 1973; Prince Charles and Princess Diana travelled around the Mediterranean in 1981 and finally the Duke and Duchess of York visited the Azores in 1986. Most recently, Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall held their pre-wedding reception on board the yacht in July 2011.

The State Drawing Room. Credit: Marianna Bozzoli.

Britannia ’s last foreign mission was to Hong Kong for the transfer of sovereignty from the United Kingdom to the People’s Republic of China on 1 July 1997.  The ship set sail for Hong Kong in January and served to escort British Governor Christopher Patten and the Prince of Wales back to the UK.

In 1997, the Conservative government committed itself to replacing the Royal Yacht if re-elected, while the Labour Party refused to disclose its plans for the vessel. After Tony Blair’s Labour won the general election in May 1997, it announced the vessel was to be retired and no replacement would be built. The previous government had argued that the cost was justified by its role in foreign policy and promoting British interests abroad.

The Queen has since chartered the MV Hebridian Princess , a private charter cruise ship, on two separate occasions for family trips around the Scottish islands.

When HMY Britannia would come into port, blowing its foghorns, the Queen herself would reportedly imitate the foghorn noise, much to the amusement of anyone in earshot. Then she and the Duke of Edinburgh would travel ashore on the royal barge, built in 1964 to replace to previous one, which had originally belonged to the royal yacht Victoria and Albert III .

Unlike most ships, Britannia was the only ships in the world where the captain was always an Admiral.  The crew were volunteers from the Royal Navy, officers were appointed for a period of two years, while enlisted crew (known as “yachtsmen”) served for one-year periods, after which they could be admitted to “The Permanent Royal Yacht Service”.  If accepted the Royal Yachtsmen were permitted to serve until they left the Royal Yacht Service or were expelled for medical or disciplinary reasons.  An attachment of Royal Marines would also be stationed on the yacht when the Royal Family was present. Service on the royal yacht attracted no extra pay, allowances or leave.

Everything was done to preserve the Royal Family’s tranquillity: most orders were not given verbally, but by hand signal; soft-soled plimsolls were worn and any work near the royal apartments had to be completed by 8.00AM.

The Queen’s Bedroom. Credit: Marianna Bozzoli.

HMY Britannia was the last ship in the Royal Navy to have hammocks in sailors’ quarters.

During her career as Royal Yacht,  Britannia  conveyed the Queen, other members of the Royal Family and various dignitaries on 696 foreign visits and 272 visits in British waters. In this time,  Britannia  steamed 1,087,623 nautical miles (2,014,278 km).

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HMS Britannia: 10 facts about Queen Elizabeth's former royal yacht

From humanitarian missions to hosting royal honeymoons, the HMS Britannia has a fascinating history serving the British Royal Family for over four decades. When she was decommissioned in 1997, Queen Elizabeth II shed a tear in a rare display of emotion. The occasion marked the end of long succession for royal yachts dating back to the reign of Charles II. As the country prepares to celebrate the Queen’s diamond jubilee, we remember her beloved Britannia .

1. Britannia was launched in 1953

Britannia was commissioned by Queen Elizabeth II following the death of her father and was launched from John Brown & Co. Ltd - the shipyard that built the Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary cruise liners - in 1953. However, there was to be no traditional Champagne-smashing against her bow. In a post-war Britain, Champagne was considered too extravagant so instead, a bottle of Empire wine was selected to do the honours at her official launch ceremony.

2. There are three masts on board

Unlike her predecessors, Britannia possessed a more modern profile with a clipper bow and cruiser stern. The ship was designed with three masts: a 41-metre foremast, a  42-metre mainmast, and 36 metre mizzenmast. The last six metres of the main mast were placed on a hinge so she could pass under bridges.

3. Britannia logged over one million nautical miles

Between family vacations and official tours, Britannia logged over one million nautical miles, which roughly equates to one trip around the world for each of her 44 years in service.

4. The wheel was inherited

The ship’s wheel was taken from King Edward VII’s racing yacht, a 37-metre gaff-rigged cutter also named Britannia . She was a near sistership to Valkyrie II which challenged for the 1893 America's Cup, and won over 230 races in her lifetime. At the end of her life she was stripped of her spars and fittings - the wheel was saved and fitted on Britannia

5. The engine room was hyper-clean

The engine room was hyper-clean  Rumour has it that the engine room on Britannia was kept in such pristine condition that any visitors were made to wipe their feet on a door mat before entering.

6. Royal honeymoons were hosted on board

A number of royal couples chose to spend their honeymoons on Britannia given its privacy and security. Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones started the trend with a six-week sail between Mustique, Trinidad and Antigua, followed by Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips, and Princess Diana and Prince Charles. The royal apartments were located on the shelter deck with access to a large veranda.

7. There were more than 200 crew on board

During royal tours, Britannia was manned by 220 yachtsmen, 21 officers and three season officers and a Royal Marine band of 26 on royal tours. Up until the 1970s, the crew had a daily ration of rum and she was the last Royal Navy vessel to have the crew sleep in hammocks.

8. Ready for war

Britannia was designed to be converted into a hospital ship in times of war. Although she was never used in this capacity, she did assist in the evacuation of refugees during the South Yemen civil war. The drawing room was used as a temporary dormitory for the evacuees.

9. The golden rivet

It was common for officers to send junior crew off on a fool’s errand to search for a single "golden rivet". It became a right of passage and engrained in maritime folklore. During a state visit, so the story goes, the Queen had caught wind of this elusive rivet and was keen to see it for herself, so the crew found some gold leaf and hastily created a golden rivet to present to Her Majesty.

10. Decomission

HMS Britannia was officially retired from royal service in 1997. Britannia  is now permanently berthed in Edinburgh and has been converted into a museum. To this day, all the clocks on board remained stopped on 3.01pm which is the exact time the Queen last disembarked the vessel.

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Name Royal Yacht Britannia

Construction

As 83rd in a long line of royal yachts that stretches back to 1660 and the reign of Charles II, BRITANNIA holds a proud place in British maritime history. Plans to build a new royal yacht to replace the VICTORIA AND ALBERT III began during the reign of King George VI. But The King died in 1952, four months before the keel of the yacht was laid. His daughter, Princess Elizabeth, succeeded him to the throne and the new Queen, together with her husband, Prince Philip, took a guiding hand in the design of the yacht, personally approving plans prepared by Sir Hugh Casson, Consultant Architect and selecting furniture, fabrics and paintings.

On April 16 1953, Her Majesty's yacht BRITANNIA rolled down the slipway at John Brown's Clydebank Shipyard, on the start of her long and illustrious career. Commissioned for service in January 1954, BRITANNIA sailed the oceans for 43 years and 334 days. During that time she steamed a total of 1,087,623 nautical miles, carrying The Queen and other members of The Royal Family on 968 official visits and calling at over 600 ports in 135 countries. In June 1994, the Government announced that Her Majesty's yacht BRITANNIA would be taken out of service.

On 11 December 1997, BRITANNIA was decommissioned at Portsmouth Naval Base in the presence of The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh and fourteen senior members of The Royal Family. Some 2,200 past and present royal yacht officers and yachtsmen, together with their families, came to witness the ceremony. Following BRITANNIA's decommissioning, proposals were put forward by cities around the UK, all competing to secure the ship. In April 1998, the Government announced that Edinburgh had been successful in its bid to bring BRITANNIA to the historic port of Leith. It was fitting that at the end of her active life, BRITANNIA should return to Scotland and to a familiar port for her final berth. The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust undertook to preserve this important 20th century icon, in keeping with her former role, and has safeguarded the yacht's place in the nation's heritage for future generations.

BRITANNIA is now a five star visitor attraction and one of the UK's premier corporate hospitality venues.

Built by John Brown’s Shipyard on Clydebank

Commissioned for service

Sailed the oceans for 43 years and 334 days, carrying the Royal Family on 968 official visits and calling at over 600 ports in 135 countries

Picked up refugees from an outbreak of civil strife and ferried them to the relative safety of Mogadishu

Government announced that Her Majesty's yacht would be taken out of service

Decommissioned at Portsmouth Naval Base

Vessel moved to port of Leith, Scotland for preservation as a visitor attraction

Classic Boat: Rule Britannia, May 2003 Norman Middlemiss, Shipping - Today & Yesterday: A Diamond Jubilee Tribute - 60 years of Royal yachts and launches,   pp22-24, June 2012   

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What Happened to the Royal Yacht Britannia?

The Crown season five begins and ends with the same plot point: The Royal Yacht Britannia. The vessel serves as a—fairly obvious—metaphor in the first episode, where Imelda Staunton’s Queen Elizabeth describes it as “a floating, seagoing version of me.” The problem with her metaphorical marine self? It’s in desperate need of multi-million dollar repairs. 

She asks British prime minister John Major, played by Jonny Lee Miller, whether the government might be able to help foot the bill. He, in turn, asks if the royal family might front the cost, given the public pushback they both might receive if such a seemingly extravagant project was approved. In the final episode of the season (a note to the reader: spoilers will follow), Tony Blair and Queen Elizabeth agree to decommission the yacht after Prince Charles’s trip to Hong Kong.

The Crown is known for taking much of its plot material from real-life events. In the case of the Royal Yacht Britannia, though—what really happened to the boat, and how much political controversy did it really cause?

To go back to the beginning, King George VI first commissioned the royal yacht that would become the Britannia in 1952. It was an exciting project, as the previous official boat had belonged to Queen Victoria, and was rarely used. (Queen Victoria, for one, did not like the water and never sailed.) Then, during the early 20th century, England was mostly at war, and making a massive, slow-sailing luxury ship would be a massive security risk in international waters. 

The Royal Yacht Britannia, George decided, should both be an extravagant vessel and a functional one, able to double as a hospital if times of war were to arise again. In 1953, the newly-crowned Queen Elizabeth christened the ship with a bottle of wine, as champagne was still seen as too extravagant post-war. In 1954, she set sail for the first time.

The Royal Yacht fulfilled many functions, most of them leisurely. Over the years, the boat hosted four royal honeymoons, including that of Princess Diana and Prince Charles, as well as many family vacations. In 1969, after his investiture as the Prince of Wales, Charles hosted an intimate party on board to celebrate. (Newspapers at the time wrote that he danced with his dear friend Lucia Santa Cruz —the very person who eventually introduced him to Camilla Parker Bowles.)

It also served as a grandiose mode of transport for many royal visits. In 1959, for example, Britannia sailed to Chicago to celebrate the recently-opened St. Lawrence seaway in Canada, and President Eisenhower joined her on board. Twenty years later, she sailed to Abu Dhabi for her first official visit to the United Arab Emirates, where she held a grand dinner for Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

And although Queen Elizabeth's reign was not during wartime, the royal yacht did execute a humanitarian mission, as King George VI had always planned for: In 1986, it sailed to Aden to evacuate over 1,000 refugees from the civil war in Yemen.

The New York Times once described the 412-foot Britannia as “an ordinary yacht what Buckingham Palace is to the house next door.” It wasn’t an exaggeration—Britannia was essentially a floating palace. It had a drawing room, a dining room, two sitting rooms, as well as galleys and cabins for all the officers. The stateroom interiors were just as ornate as any other royal estate, while the bedrooms—which all had their own bathrooms and dressing rooms—were designed to feel surprisingly personal. 

“Within the royal apartments, however, the regal elegance gives way to the homey, patched elbow chic of an English country house, with flowered chintz slipcovers, family photographs, and rattan settees, interspersed with the occasional relic of Empire—shark's teeth from the Solomon Islands here, a golden urn commemorating Nelson's victory at Trafalgar there,” the New York Times found when it boarded the ship in 1976.

The cost of running Britannia was always an issue. Politicians raised questions about its financial value as far back as 1954, when two MPs lobbied for an investigation on why the yacht’s refurbishment would cost 5.8 million pounds, accusing the royal family of waste and extravagance. A government committee later dismissed the accusations. In 1994, the Conservative government ruled the yacht too costly to refurbish, when repairs came in at a whopping 17 million, but then briefly walked back on their decision a few years later. 

However, when Tony Blair’s Labour government won the election, and the new government once again declined to pay for Britannia. Britannia’s final journey was to far-flung Hong Kong in 1997, as Prince Charles turned over the British colony back to the Chinese at the end of Britain's 99-year lease. When they finally decommissioned the boat that summer, the queen cried—one of the few times she’s shown emotion in public. The boat had logged over one million nautical miles.

Today, Britannia sits permanently docked in Edinburgh. Visitors can take tours of its grand galleys, or even rent it out for events. Yet, despite its retirement, the concept of the royal yacht lives on: In 2021, Boris Johnson floated the idea of a new boat. However, a mere eight days ago, Rishi Sunak has scrapped the project—showing that, even now, the concept remains a controversial one.

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The final visit to the River Tyne of the Royal Yacht Britannia 25 years ago

After 44 years in service, the famous vessel was being decommissioned and was in the midst of a farewell tour of the UK when she stopped off on Tyneside

• 09:31, 8 NOV 2022
• Updated 09:36, 8 NOV 2022

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It was November 8, 1997 and the Royal Yacht Britannia was paying her last ever visit to the River Tyne.

The floating residence of Queen Elizabeth II, the ship had been launched at John Brown & Co shipyard on the River Clyde in April 1953, a couple of months before the young Queen's coronation. Now, after 44 years in service, the famous vessel was being decommissioned, and was in the midst of a farewell tour of the UK.

The Chronicle reported 25 years ago: "In semi darkness and heavy rain the Royal Yacht Britannia sailed up the Tyne today to pay an emotional farewell to her public. On her final visit to the region she was met by the river pilot's launch with a crew of journalists aboard.

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"We were welcomed aboard the 5,000-tonne, 420ft vessel by her skipper Commodore Anthony Morrow before she turned about and headed up river. Britannia has been the nation's favourite ship for 44 years and her farewell tour of the major ports in Britain has been an emotional journey.

"Coming up the Tyne backwards she passed the river's famous landmarks from Tynemouth Priory, past the shipyards at Wallsend, and on to Newcastle's world famous bridges escorted by the Type-42 destroyer HMS Manchester, her majestic arrival was only marred by the weather.

"Thousands braved a dawn downpour and lined the Quayside to see the Britannia arrive, just as they did on her last visit to the Tyne in 1989. Naval spokesman Lieutenant Commander Paul Gorsuch said people were welcome to come and say goodbye to the Britannia. He added: 'As Britannia is private royal territory and effectively a floating palace, for security reasons, the public won't be able to board her. But HMS Manchester will follow us up the river and people will be welcome to visit her. We recruit a lot of sailors from the North East, and we're hoping our visit might encourage still more to consider a life at sea'."

By the time the Royal Yacht arrived on Tyneside, she had sailed more than one million miles around the globe on nearly 1,000 state visits, calling at more than 600 ports in 135 countries, welcoming aboard numerous heads of state, including various American presidents.

A favourite place for the Queen to relax, around 45 members of the royal household would accompany her on foreign visits, while the ship could accommodate 250 guests. During her triumphant 1977 UK Silver Jubilee tour, the Queen and Prince Philip had disembarked from the Royal Yacht at Newcastle Quayside for their rapturous Tyneside leg of the tour.

The Royal Yacht was also designed with a secondary role as a hospital ship in times of war or emergency. In 1986 she rescued 1,500 civilians when fighting erupted in Yemen on the Arabian peninsular. And when the Royals began to use air travel more and more for engagements overseas, she became a flagship for British industry. The contracts signed and deals negotiated on board were estimated to have made up to £10 billion a year for business.

Now a permanent fixture at Leith docks near Edinburgh, the Royal Yacht Britannia is a major tourist attraction, welcoming thousands of visitors aboard every year.

• The Newcastle department store, Binns - another lost city centre favourite
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HMHS Britannia, Royal Yacht, hospital markings (Minic Ships 721H)

A 1:1200 first-issue model of Her Majesty's Yacht HMY Britannia , with alternative hospital markings. The model is part of the Tri-Ang Minic range produced between 1959 and 1964.

The model has a white body and white funnel bearing a red cross.

Triang Catalogue Number: M721H

The original ship

The Royal Yacht was nominally built as a dual-purpose ship that could serve as a hospital ship in times of war. However, the ship was never assigned the "HMHS prefix, since it was never never put into service in this role.

External links

• HMHS Britannia on the Triang Minic ships website
• Hospital ship conversion specifications (pdf), royalyachtbritannia.co.uk)
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• Later Twentieth Century
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Entertainment | Princess Diana’s honeymoon with Prince Charles:…

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Entertainment | robert f. kennedy jr. says he’s suspending his presidential bid and backing donald trump, entertainment, entertainment | princess diana’s honeymoon with prince charles: lots of sleep but anything else.

This 02 November 1992 file photo shows the Prince and Princess of Wales during their visit to South Korea. Prime Minister John Major announced 09 December 1992 at the House of Commons that the royal couple will separate after 11 years of marriage. (Photo credit should read FILES/AFP/Getty Images)

Picture of Lady Diana, Princess of Wales with Prince Charles of Wales at their wedding at St Paul Cathedral in London in this file photo dated 29 July 1981. Lady Diana and her lover, the Egyptian millionaire businessman Dodi al-Fayed died after a midnight car crash in Paris 31 August. At far (R) Earl Spencer, father of Lady Diana. (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images)

Prince Charles and the Princess of Wales (1961 - 1997, later Diana, Princess of Wales) arrive for a British Film Institute dinner at 11 Downing Street, the official residence of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, 2nd February 1982. Diana wears a lace and velvet gown by Bellville Sassoon. (Photo by Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

NEWCASTLE, AUSTRALIA - 1983: Princess Diana And Prince Charles watch an official event during their first royal Australian tour 1983 IN Newcastle, Austrlia. (Photo by Patrick Riviere/Getty Images)

(FILES) This file picture taken 05 November 1989 in Yogyakarta shows Prince and Princess of Wales attending a ceremony with Indonesian tribal dancers. Ten years after her death in a Paris tunnel on 31 August 1997, Princess Diana shows no sign of retreating into the shadows -- her most enduring legacy the ability, even now, to engage, capture and divide public opinion. AFP PHOTO/FILES/Kazuhiro NOGI TO GO WITH AFP STORY / PACKAGE BRITAIN-ROYALS-DIANA-10YEARS / GB-ROYAUTE-DIANA-10ANS (Photo credit should read KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP/Getty Images)

Prince Charles and the Princess of Wales (1961 - 1997, later Diana, Princess of Wales) at Westminster Abbey, London, for a centenary service for the Royal College Of Music, 28th February 1982. (Photo by Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

(FILES) This file picture taken 19 August 1995 in London shows Princess Diana (L), her sons Harry(2nd L) and William (2nd R), and Prince Charles(R) watching the parade march past as part of the commemorations of VJ Day. Ten years after her death in a Paris tunnel on 31 August 1997, Princess Diana shows no sign of retreating into the shadows -- her most enduring legacy the ability, even now, to engage, capture and divide public opinion. AFP PHOTO/FILES TO GO WITH AFP STORY / PACKAGE BRITAIN-ROYALS-DIANA-10YEARS / GB-ROYAUTE-DIANA-10ANS (Photo credit should read JOHNNY EGGITT/AFP/Getty Images)

Britain's Prince Charles (background, L), Princess Diana (C) and their sons, William (R) and Harry, leave the church of St. Mary Magdalen near Sandrigham House 25 December. Diana arrived at Sandringham 24 December for the traditional Christmas Eve present-opening with the royal family. (Color key: green grass). (Photo credit should read POOL/AFP/Getty Images)

US President Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy welcome 09 November 1985 in White House, Washington, D.C., Princess Diana and her husband Prince Charles. The Royal Couple arrive in Washington, D.C. for a three-day visit before traveling on to Florida. Britain's Prince Charles and his new bride, Camilla, arrive in the United States Tuesday 01 November 2005 on their first official trip overseas since their wedding in April. The eight-day visit to New York, Washington and San Francisco will include a wreath-laying ceremony at the site of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, a meeting with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, lunch and dinner at the White House and several receptions, as well as meetings with business leaders and organic farmers. AFP PHOTO DON RYPKA (Photo credit should read DON RYPKA/AFP/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 24: Britain's Princess Diana (R) and British Ambassador to the US David Kerr arrive at the Nina Hyde Gala fund raising benefit for breast cancer research 24 September in Washinton, DC. Princess Diana attended the Nina Hyde Center breakfast earlier in the day hosted by US First Lady Hillary Clinton at the White House. (Photo credit should read JOYCE NALTCHAYAN/AFP/Getty Images)

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM: Britain's Princess of Wales departs her London health club 20 November before her controversial TV interview later this evening. The Princess is expected to divulge her life with Prince Charles after their marriage. AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read JOHNNY EGGITT/AFP/Getty Images)

BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA - NOVEMBER 24: Diana, Princess of Wales, is greeted by supporters 24 November during her visit to the Doctor Angel Roffo hospital in Buenos Aires. Diana's four-day visit to Argentina was the second by a member of Britain's royal family since the two countries fought a brief war over the Malvinas archipelago. AFP PHOTO Alejandro PAGNI/ap (Photo credit should read ALEJANDRO PAGNI/AFP/Getty Images)

Britain's Princess Diana (L) sits with US First Lady Hillary Clinton during ceremonies at the White House on September 24, 1996. Hillary Clinton hosted a fund-raising breakfast to benefit breast cancer research. / AFP PHOTO / Jamal A. WILSON (Photo credit should read JAMAL A. WILSON/AFP/Getty Images)

(FILES) A file photo taken 19 February 1992 shows Mother Teresa (L) chatting with Diana, Princess of Wales, during a visit to a convent in Rome. Mother Teresa died 05 September at the age of 87, according to reports on CNN television. (Photo credit should read -/AFP/Getty Images)

Getty Images

NOV1996 1996 - PRINCESS DIANA AT THE VICTOR CHANG CARDIAC RESEARCH INSTITUTE , SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA. (Photo by Patrick Riviere/Getty Images)

PARIS, FRANCE: Britain's Princess Diana steps out of her car 25 September as she arrived at the Petit-Palais in Paris for a dinner in her honor. Diana is on a two-day official visit to France. AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read ERIC FEFERBERG/AFP/Getty Images)

PARIS, FRANCE: Picture dated 14 November 1992 of Diana, Princess of Wales waving to the crowd as she arrives at the Cite de la Musique at La Villette in Paris. Diana died in hospital early 31 August after a midnight car crash in central Paris in which her friend the Egyptian millionaire film-producer Dodi al-Fayed and driver were also killed. (Woman at R is unidentified) (Photo credit should read JOEL ROBINE/AFP/Getty Images)

Diana, the Princess of Wales after arriving 17 June at the Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington to attend a gala dinner for landmine victims. A few days earlier Diana renewed in London her call for a global ban on landmines, asking "how can countries which manufacture and trade in these weapons square their conscience with such human devastation?" (Photo credit should read JOHN STILLWELL/AFP/Getty Images)

(FILES) Photo dated 10 August 1997 shows Diana, Princess of Wales, posing for a photograph with some French SFOR soldiers at Sarajevo airport before her flight to London. Diana died in a hospital in Paris, early 31 August, from massive internal injuries following a car crash. Her friend Egyptian millionaire Dodi el-Fayed was killed when the car crashed. The Princess was 36 years old. AFP PHOTO FILES/STEFAN ROUSSEAU (Photo credit should read STEFAN ROUSSEAU/AFP/Getty Images)

Princess of Wales Lady Diana feeds a minor cancer effected child during the variety show presented by the children at Khanum memorial cancer hospital on Februray 22, 1996 in Lahore. / AFP PHOTO / - (Photo credit should read -/AFP/Getty Images)

Britain's Princess Diana wearing a heavy duty protection vest and face shield, is accompanied by a mine-clearing expert of the Halo Trust 15 January during her visit to the mine fields near Huambo, where she watched mine-clearing operations in an area once on the frontline of the Angolan civil war. / AFP PHOTO / LUSA / ANTONIO COTRIM (Photo credit should read ANTONIO COTRIM/AFP/Getty Images)

Archpriest Magio (R) shakes hands with British rock star Elton John standing next to Princess Diana (L) during the requiem mass for Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace at the Duomoin Milan 22 July 1997. Versace was gunned down in Miami Beach 15 July. EDS NOTE: Best quality available. (ELECTRONIC IMAGE) (Photo credit should read GERARD JULIEN/AFP/Getty Images)

NOV 1996 - PRINCESS DIANA, THE PRINCESS OF WALES ARRIVING AT THE VICTOR CHANG CARDIAC RESEARCH INSTITUTE DINNER DANCE IN SYDNEY , AUSTRALIA. (Photo by Patrick Riviere/Getty Images)

Pop stars George Michael (top) and Elton John leave Westminster Abbey after the funeral service 06 September of Diana Princess of Wales. The Princess was killed in a car crash in Paris 31 August. (Photo credit should read JOHNNY EGGITT/AFP/Getty Images)

The Prince of Wales and his sons Prince William (R) and Prince Harry, view the sea of floral tributes to their mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, at Kensington Palace, 05 September. ==UK OUT=== / AFP PHOTO / EPA/PA / REBECCA NADEN (Photo credit should read REBECCA NADEN/AFP/Getty Images)

They were expected to enjoy the most exciting and romantic 14 days of their extended honeymoon: a cruise around the Mediterranean that would take them to the sun-kissed Greek islands.

On the island of Crete, according to one account , they discovered a secret cove. There, under a brilliant blue sky and with temperatures in the 90s, the 20-year-old Diana swam in a bright yellow bikini as her 32-year-old husband sunbathed on the beach. A crew of 307 attended to their every wish, and they spent most of their evenings alone on the royal deck.

It sounds like an enchanted 14 days. Or was it?

A batch of letters, written by Diana to her personal secretary, Jane Parsons, presents an “intimate glimpse” into the marriage of Prince Charles and the late princess, according to Vanity Fair. The letters will be auctioned off next month,

The marriage, as the world later learned, was not a happy one. The couple divorced in 1996, and Diana was dead a year later, fatally injured in a car crash in Paris.

It seems that things started to go wrong even before the so-called wedding of the century when Diana learned that Charles had given his ex-girlfriend Camilla Parker Bowles a bracelet. Then on their honeymoon cruise, Diana noticed that Charles was wearing a set of cufflinks given to him by Camilla. The couple had a “furious row.”

One letter in the batch to be auctioned off hints at this less than romantic picture of Diana’s time alone with her new husband. It is dated August 15, 1981, and is written on Britannia–crested paper.  In it, the young princess writes, “The honeymoon was a perfect opportunity to catch up on sleep.”

Other letters provide other intriguing details of the next few years as the new wife and mother tries to adjust to royal life.

— Prince William received 4,500 baby presents on the occasion of his birth, and there were a total of 24,000 thank-you notes sent out after the fact.

— Diana wanted to make sure that her staff was not feeling “exhausted, overworked and underpaid” after William’s birth. She herself felt somewhat deluged, explaining to Parsons, after her own 21st birthday, “I have never been more confused than on my birthday as presents and telegrams were pouring in for W at KP as well as my own—so at the moment I just seem to be churning out letters!”

— Diana was very happy that William was excited to see her when she returned home from an official trip to Australia in 1983. She also apparently didn’t love all the traveling. She wrote, “William recognised us instantly, which was a relief as sometimes children resent their parents leaving them! It’s marvellous to be home again and hopefully we won’t have to do any more travelling this year… Wishful thinking!”

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• Britannia Arms

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Delivery No

Payment Credit Cards Accepted

Parking Street

Good for Kids No

Attire Casual

Alcohol Yes - Full Bar

Reservations No

Cuisines: Bar Food , American , Sports Bars , British

Price Point $$ $ - Cheap Eats (Under $10) $$ - Moderate ($11-$25) $$$ - Expensive ($25-$50) $$$$ - Very Pricey (Over $50)

Outdoor Seats Yes

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