Royal Yacht Britannia Is How the Queen and Royals Liked to Roll

The monarchy is no longer a form of government in many states around the world, but a few of them, like the UK still hold onto tradition. An element that’s as much marketing as a form of ruling, the British Royals still attract attention, and bring a lot of revenue.

Over the centuries, the British royalty didn’t have impact just in the UK, as the Commonwealth spread all around the globe. Therefore, the Royal family usually had to travel to those territories as part of their tours. For that purpose, they needed means of transport, and so things like the Royal Yacht Britannia came to happen.

Prior to the Britannia, there was Victoria & Albert III, which was the first Royal Yacht not to be powered by sail, built for Queen Victoria. However, she never stepped foot on board the yacht, and it was mostly used by King Edward VII once he started his reign. It served four sovereigns over 38 years, and was decommissioned in 1939.

A new Royal Yacht had to be commissioned to travel the globe, and to double as a hospital ship in time of war. John Brown & Co received order for the new one on February 4, 1952. Unfortunately, King George VI passed away two days later.

With Queen Elizabeth’s coronation in 1952, she took on responsibility for the Commonwealth, and the yacht as well, and Britannia was officially launched on 16 April 1953. It served the Royal Family for over 44 years, traveling more than a million nautical miles, and becoming one of the most famous ships in the world. The yacht was more than a means of transportation for Her Majesty The Queen, as the Royals used to spend vacations, honeymoons and to hold official receptions on it.

With an overall length of 412 ft (126 m), the Royal Yacht provided the family with everything they needed on board, from drawing rooms to their own apartments. Its speed was 22.75 knots, with continuous seagoing speed of 21 knots. The engine room is an immaculate area of gleaming brass, chrome and white enamel, and the engines put out a total of 12,000 horsepower.

The main machinery consisted of two sets of turbines and gearing, and it took intensive work to get it handled. There would be eight men on duty in the engine room, boiler room, and associated machinery rooms.

When it comes to the crew, the yacht had 21 officers on board, and 250 yachtsmen, and a capacity of 250 guests. There are several staircases, and a passenger lift, operating between the main and shelter deck. The Royal Yacht was also designed to be a hospital in case of war, but this feature was never used.

The Royal apartments are on the shelter deck, leading on to a sun deck. The main staircase from the Royal apartments on the shelter deck leads to a vestibule on the upper deck about which are grouped the State apartments. Her Majesty and His Royal Highness had adjoining bedrooms, and both had sitting rooms. The state dining, drawing-and ante- rooms extend the full width of the yacht, being the largest ones available.

The Royal Yacht Britannia was decommissioned in 1997, after seeing extensive restoration in 1987, and needing more investment which proved to be too expensive. "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." - Her Majesty The Queen said in a letter.

The estimate of the total cost of construction is £2,139,000 (almost $3 million). The British government announced its plans for a new Royal Yacht, commissioning the New Britannia for a cost of £200 million, or $278 million, and hoping to have the ship in the water by 2024 or 2025.

While you cannot purchase the yacht, or see it sailing anymore, it’s a top star attraction, and you can visit it should you ever find yourself in Edinburgh, UK. A restored Land Rover is displayed in the on-board garage and a retired Rolls-Royce Phantom V state car is parked on the wharf below the ship, and you can check out the latter in the gallery.