Of all the royal homes in the United Kingdom, one of the most interesting is a floating home – the former Royal Yacht Britannia. Now an award-winning visitor attraction and hospitality venue, Britannia is permanently berthed at the port of Leith, Edinburgh, just two miles from the city centre.
We thought we should just take a look when we were in Edinburgh earlier this year, but it turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip, so well is it presented. You don’t have to be a royalist to enjoy a visit to Britannia but it probably helps if you are. It is impossible not to notice the contrasts between the opulence of the staterooms and the austere functionality of the working areas, the spaciousness of the royal bedrooms and the cramped confines of the crew’s quarters.
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh worked closely with interior designer Sir Hugh Casson to create both a functional Royal Navy vessel, and a sumptuous royal residence. The Queen chose deep blue for Britannia’s hull instead of black, which was more traditional at the time. Britannia was designed to double as a hospital ship in wartime but never served that purpose.
On 16 April 1953, Her Majesty’s Yacht Britannia was launched from the John Brown & Company shipyard in Clydebank, the start of a long and illustrious career. For more than 40 years Britannia served the royal family, travelling more than a million nautical miles to become one of the most famous ships in the world. During her four decades in royal service Britannia sailed the equivalent of once around the world for each year, calling at over 600 ports in 135 countries.
Unlike any other ship, Britannia was captained by nine admirals over its term of service and latterly a commodore. The full crew comprised 220 yachtsmen, 20 officers, three season officers, and during royal tours a Royal Marines Band of 26 men. Crew members were mainly volunteers from the general service of the Royal Navy and there were no women among the crew. Britannia’s crest can be seen on deck but unlike other vessels, her name is not inscribed on the side of the ship.
There is plenty to marvel at in terms of what was achieved by the 250-man crew who maintained a floating home fit for a queen. Britannia was the only navy ship to have its own 24-hour laundry, manned by its own crew, where temperatures sometimes reached 120 degrees F. The yacht could produce its own fresh water from sea water. Britannia had sailors sleeping in hammocks until 1973, the last ship in the navy to do so.
Britannia played a role in some defining moments of recent history, including the rescue in 1986 of more than 1,000 refugees from then war-torn Aden in the Republic of Yemen. Britannia undertook 968 official visits including the handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997. The Royal Yacht Britannia was decommissioned in Portsmouth on 11 December 1997, the last in a long line of royal yachts stretching back to 1660. Britannia opened her doors as a tourist attraction in 1998.
Can you believe Britannia was the UK’s Best Attraction 2020 as judged by Which? magazine readers? It scored the highest mark – 90 per cent for food and drink, information and value for money and ‘an outstanding attraction that is immaculately kept’. What’s more, for the past 13 years, the Royal Yacht Britannia has officially been rated as Scotland’s Best Visitor Attraction by VisitScotland.
Britannia’s Visitor Centre, on the second floor of Leith’s Ocean Terminal, provides historical background about the royal family and yacht crew. Visitors then collect an audio handset which is included in the admission price – £18.00 for adults with concessions available for students, families and children – and begin their tour of the five decks open to the public.
Highlights of the tour include the Sun Lounge, the State Dining Room and the Queen’s bedroom, all pictured above. It is said that Britannia is the only place where you can see the bedroom of a living British monarch. Ninety-five per cent of items on display are the original artefacts on loan from the royal collection.
Britannia had its own surgery and operating theatre.
This was the crew’s bar and is not for visitors!
On the Royal Deck, which the royal family used for cocktail parties and receptions, there is now a tea room where visitors can enjoy sweeping harbour views and indulge in cakes, scones, soups and sandwiches, all freshly made on board.
Refreshments include specialty teas and coffees, beer, wine and champagne. Britannia’s own confectioner also makes delicious homemade fudge in the NAAFI sweet shop. And of course there is a gift shop.
For a ship Britannia is very accessible with wheelchair access, lifts and ramps throughout. The yacht is owned by a charitable organisation, The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust, which receives no public funding. All revenue generated goes towards Britannia’s long-term maintenance and preservation.
Our visit made for a most enjoyable morning but getting up to Leith from our accommodation downtown was a bit of an ordeal. What none of the tourist brochures or websites tell you is that Edinburgh is currently being dug up to make way for tram tracks, turning this once-beautiful city into a giant construction site. There’s scarcely a street you can drive down without being diverted onto a confusing series of detours.
Pedestrians don’t escape the chaos either and even the famous Royal Mile cannot be traversed without negotiating obstacles. The cheerful and resilient Scots generally rise above it, but bus and taxi drivers are despondent as their routes are constantly being diverted. The roadworks continue all the way up to Leith and beyond and are not due for completion until the spring of 2023. So if you’re going to the Scottish capital anytime soon, make allowance for delays, particularly if you will be driving.
Title picture: The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust
Other photos © Judy Barford
