There are places that bring back moments and bygone stories. The Britannia yacht is more than a luxury ship for the British royal family: she was inaugurated in 1953 by the very young Elizabeth II, who had just ascended the throne after the death of her father, King George VI; and it was the place where up to four couples from the British Monarchy enjoyed their honeymoon…even if their love ended afterwards. Many thought it was a floating palace because it had all the facilities of the crown, but on the high seas. In 1997, shipping was discontinued and a museum was set up in Leith, a suburb of Edinburgh. King Charles III used his trip to the Scottish capital for the coronation ceremony this Wednesday and visited the yacht 42 years after his marriage to Princess Diana of Wales. A ship on which they spent their honeymoon through six countries.
The monarch is in Scotland to receive the honours, as tradition dictates: a ceremony in which he is shown the UK’s oldest crown jewels to mark his coronation. Queen Camila accompanies him on this trip, although she was not on the Britannia yacht tour. Once a year the Royal Family travel to Holyrood Palace for a series of traditional Scottish events, but this occasion is special: it culminates in a special celebration of the new monarch. Charles of England’s diary was packed with events this Monday in Edinburgh: he received the keys to the city, only to board the Britannia decades later.
More information
This ship was designed to protect the health of King George VI. to improve, but he could never enjoy it. The inauguration took place in April 1953, when Elizabeth II, who was about to be crowned, addressed the event with a few words: “I shall call this ship Britannia. I wish him and all who sail her every success.” For 44 years she became one of the most important Windsor ships, serving the Queen and other relatives on their voyages around the world. The Queen admitted that the Britannia was “the only place to relax”.
King Charles III visits the yacht “Britannia” on July 3, 2023 in Edinburgh, Scotland. POOL (via Portal)
On December 11, 1997, the ship was decommissioned after traveling more than a million nautical miles and 135 countries. Since stranded and turned into a museum, Carlos III wanted to return to where he once (apparently) flourished with his then-wife, Princess Diana of Wales. On board the ship, the monarch had the opportunity to speak to former seamen of the crew and to revive naval traditions. To commemorate the 25 years the yacht was stranded, he toasted the rum and said a few words to those present about how they took care of the ship during that time.
Although it was built as a royal residence – it had five floors and a staff of more than 240 seamen – the possibility has also been raised that it was once a maritime hospital. It never served that final purpose, but was used in a 1986 rescue mission to evacuate European citizens from southern Yemen. Not only the British royal family, but also personalities such as Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela, Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher set out to sail the seas aboard the Britannia.
King Charles III visits the yacht “Britannia” on July 3, 2023 in Edinburgh, Scotland. POOL (via Portal)
The 240 sailors working on the yacht had to meet certain requirements, such as communicating through signs and hand gestures to avoid shouting and instilling a sense of peace and calm, which the royal family was seeking. They also had to change their clothes six times a day to comply with the various protocols.
It was not just a simple ship on which members of the Crown would spend their holidays or enjoy a few days of rest, but also the mode of transport by which the newlyweds of the family traveled the world. The first to do so was Princess Margaret in 1960 to celebrate her honeymoon in the Caribbean with Anthony Armstrong-Jones, whom she divorced 18 years later. The following were Princess Anne in 1973 with her husband Mark Phillips. They divorced 19 years later. They were followed by Prince Charles and Princess Diana, who embarked on the already traditional honeymoon; It was 1981. On board the ship they visited the Rock of Gibraltar, Algeria, Tunisia, Sicily, Greece and Egypt. Another couple who divorced 15 years later. The last to do so were Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson in 1986, who visited the Azores; They were married 10 years. A ship that, in the case of the bridal couple, only brought divorces.
Prince Charles and Diana of Wales on their honeymoon aboard the Britannia, 1 August 1981. Tim Graham (Tim Graham Photo Library via Get)
Decades of travel and stories ending in 1997. The royal family wanted to build another replacement ship, but the government refused to fund it. The Britannia’s clocks remain stopped at 15:01, when the Queen entered the ship for the last time, closing the doors as a palace and opening them as a museum.