where is the royal yacht britannia berthed

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The Royal Yacht Britannia

Experience Tripadvisor's Best UK Attraction 2023. Follow in the footsteps of Royalty and explore this floating Royal residence with a fascinating audio tour of five decks (available in over 30 languages).

Tripadvisor's Best UK Attraction 2023, Best UK Attraction (Which magazine readers) and Tripadvisor Travellers' Choice Best of the Best award winner 

Visit this award-winning attraction, just two miles from Edinburgh's city centre at Ocean Terminal.  The Royal Yacht Britannia played host to some of the world’s most famous people, from Nelson Mendela to Winston Churchill, but above all was home for the British Royal Family for over 40 years. Now you can discover the heart and soul of this most special of Royal residences.

You'll receive a truly warm welcome at Britannia's Visitor Centre before you board this famous ship where you will discover the history of Royal Yachts and view displays and historical photographs of Britannia's fascinating past before boarding Queen Elizabeth II's former floating palace.

What will you see?

• Tour Britannia’s five decks
• Feel like the captain of the ship in the Bridge
• Follow in the footsteps of Royalty through the State Apartments
• See Queen Elizabeth II's favourite room- the Sun Lounge
• Discover below decks in the Crew’s Quarters
• Admire a tour highlight, the gleaming Engine Room
• Take in the Royal Sailing Exhibition
• Enjoy soups, sandwiches, cakes and scones in the Royal Deck Tearoom and admire the stunning waterfront views.

The tour is available in:

• Audio handset tour, available in over 30 languages
• Children’s audio tour
• Audio tour for those with sight loss
• ASL and BSL tablet
• Braille script ​​​​​​ ​​​​​

Complete the Britannia experience with a visit to the  Gift Shop in Ocean Terminal, where you’ll find exclusive Britannia souvenirs, china, toys, gifts and nautical items.

Berthed just moments away, Britannia's sister ship, floating hotel Fingal, offers 22 luxurious cabins inspired by the former Northern Lighthouse Board tender's rich maritime heritage. For further information, visit Fingal's website .

HELPFUL INFORMATION:

-  All weather experience -  Highly accessible for wheelchair users, single buggies and those with limited mobility. Read our accessibility statement here . -  Free Annual Pass for 12 months admission included -  The entrance to Britannia is temporarily on the Ground Floor of Ocean Terminal shopping centre.

How to get here?

By tram: Take the tram to stop 'Ocean Terminal' (Newhaven direction).

By bus:  Regal Tour Bus and Lothian Buses 10, 16, 34 and 35 run from the city centre towards Ocean Terminal. Majestic Tour buses depart regularly from Waterloo Place / St Andrew Square in the centre of Edinburgh. The Majestic Tour is operated by Edinburgh Bus Tours .

By train:  Arrive in the city centre at Edinburgh Waverley Train Station, just 2 miles from Britannia. 

By car: Follow signs to Edinburgh and Leith or North Edinburgh. Then follow brown tourist signs for Britannia. Free car parking at Ocean Terminal (level C is nearest). For satnav our postcode is EH6 6JJ. Go inside the shopping centre for Britannia’s entrance and the start of the tour. By plane: Britannia is approximately 40 minutes’ drive from Edinburgh Airport.

For further information on finding Britannia, please see here .  

OPENING TIMES

Please check the Britannia website for full opening times and prices. EVENING EVENTS Exclusive dinners and receptions can be hosted on board. Call our events team on +44 (0) 131 555 8800 and see how we can create your event of a lifetime, or visit the events section of our website .

PRIVATE TOURS A private tour on board The Royal Yacht Britannia is an exclusive experience, giving you access to Britannia’s five decks, and a unique insight into the history of the Royal Yacht and how the Royal Family and crew lived and worked on board. Both Morning and Evening tours are available. Call our events team on +44 (0) 131 555 8800 or for more information visit click here . PRESERVING BRITANNIA Britannia is cared for by The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust , a self-funding charity registered in Scotland (SC028070). By visiting Britannia you will be helping us to preserve this important piece of history for future generations.

www.royalyachtbritannia.co.uk See our reviews on Tripadvisor Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Pinterest Follow us on Instagram

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Transport and Parking

• On Public Transport Route
• Public Parking Nearby

Accessibility

• Hearing Loop
• Accessible Parking Or Drop-off Point
• Lift or stairlift
• Large print, braille or audio
• Level Access
• Wheelchair access throughout
• Accessible toilets
• Wheelchairs or mobility aids provided
• Suitable for visitors with limited mobility

Dietary Options

• Gluten Free

Typical Prices

• Baby Changing Facilities
• Public Toilet Facilities
• Lunch Available
• Licensed Bar
• Cafe or Restaurant

Payment Methods

• American Express
• Diners Card
• Credit Card
• Coastal Location
• Sea/Loch View

Awards & Schemes

Related items of interest

• Sailing on Royal Racing Yacht Bloodhound

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The Royal Yacht Britannia Visitor Guide

The Royal Yacht Britannia is the former royal yacht of HM Queen Elizabeth II and is located at the Ocean Terminal shopping centre in Edinburgh . The yacht is one of Scotland’s premier tourist attractions, and visitors can explore it on a self-guided tour that takes them through the main dining hall, the royal family’s private quarters, and the engine room.

The Royal Yacht Britannia first launched in 1953 was the official seafaring vessel of Queen Elizabeth II and the British royal family for over four decades. Used for state visits, royal vacations, and diplomatic trips, the vessel is now a popular tourist attraction moored in Edinburgh where it offers a fascinating glimpse into royal life.

Throughout its working life, the Royal Yacht Britannia was the official residence of Queen Elizabeth II during her overseas tours, sailing over one million miles around the world while promoting British interests abroad.

The vessel is now kept in immaculate condition by the Royal Yacht Britannia Trust and is open year-round for visitors to follow in the footsteps of world leaders as they explore the royal’s private quarters and the below-deck rooms. Self-guided audio tours will take you to every nook and cranny of this enormous ship while information panels explain what life would have been like on board the vessel in its heyday.

There’s also an excellent restaurant onboard on the upper deck as well as a gift shop in the visitor centre, and as Britannia is moored alongside Ocean Terminal you can easily visit the restaurants, shops, and cinema that the waterfront shopping complex has to offer.

The Highlights

1: The Royal Yacht Britannia served as the floating residence of the British Royal Family for over 40 years. Exploring this iconic vessel gives you a unique opportunity to delve into the fascinating maritime history of the Royal Family and discover the stories behind their voyages and state visits.

2: The Royal Yacht Britannia has been meticulously preserved since its decommissioning in 1997. As you explore the ship, you’ll be able to view the opulent interiors which include the State Apartments, the Royal Bedrooms, and the impressive Royal Deck Tea Room.

3: The Royal Yacht Britannia is located in the historic port of Leith, just a short distance from Edinburgh’s city centre. The yacht is docked permanently, allowing visitors to soak in the waterfront views while they explore the vessel. After your visit, you can take a walk to enjoy the vibrant atmosphere of Leith with its charming shops and restaurants.

Visiting Tips

1: Although the tickets are a wee bit pricey there’s a lot to see so you’ll spend a good 2-3 hours on Britannia. While the tickets are expensive if you only make one visit, they allow unlimited re-entry for one year, so keep hold of them in case you decide to return another day.

2: Ocean Terminal is a nice shopping centre with a cinema and several cafes and restaurants. You could easily stretch your Britannia visit to last most of the day if you use those facilities.

3: If you want to explore the city centre after a visit to Britannia take Lothian Bus services 11, 22, 34, 35 and 36. Highlights of Edinburgh include Edinburgh Castle (obviously), Calton Hill , The Scott Monument , Holyrood Park and Holyrood Palace .

Tourist Information

The ship is entered via the visitor centre in Ocean Terminal which is situated on the top floor of the shopping mall. As you walk around Britannia’s five main decks on a self-guided tour you can listen to an audio guide that explains what life was like on board not only for the royal inhabitants but also for the Royal Navy crew that manned it during its voyages.

Starting at the bridge you pass through the state apartments, the crew quarters, and the engine room before finally reaching the racing yacht Bloodhound which is part of an interesting royal sailing exhibition.

There are many highlights of this ship that all family members will enjoy – including the huge state banquet room with its massive dining table and the gleaming Rolls Royce Phantom that used to travel on the ship along with the Royal Family.

If you fancy a wee treat you can pick up some delicious homemade fudge in the NAAFI sweet shop. but make sure you leave enough room for the Royal Deck Tea Room where you can sample top-notch Scottish cuisine as well as coffee and sandwiches. The entry ticket includes free re-admittance for one year so if you ever go back to Ocean Terminal you could always take another visit just for the restaurant.

Britannia was built at the Clydebank shipyards near Glasgow and successfully launched in 1953, with its maiden voyage to Malta beginning in 1954. During its time at sea, Britannia was manned by volunteers from the Royal Navy, some of whom liked it so much they served onboard for over 20 years.

Whenever royalty was on the vessel a full troop of Royal Marines accompanied them, and during this time they would have sailed around the globe several times as the royal family undertook their ambassadorial duties in almost every nation on earth. Britannia also performed services as an aid ship, evacuating over 1,000 refugees from the civil war in Aden in 1986, and was ready to be converted into a hospital ship at a moment’s notice.

Britannia was eventually decommissioned in 1997 after mounting political pressure regarding the cost of maintenance made its continued use impossible. The ship was finally tied up at Ocean Terminal where The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust was set up to look after it. Today, more than 300,000 people visit the Royal Yacht Britannia each year, making it one of the top five tourist attractions in Scotland.

Things to Do

Check out the Britannia Visitor Centre : Start your visit at the Britannia Visitor Centre located in Ocean Terminal. There, you can discover Britannia’s fascinating history through exhibits and photographs before you step aboard the yacht itself.

Explore the Royal Yacht Britannia : Step aboard the British monarch’s former floating palace and explore the state apartments, crew’s quarters, and engine room. This magnificent ship offers a unique glimpse into royal life at sea thanks to audio guides which are included in the ticket price.

Tea at The Royal Deck Tea Room : After your tour, unwind at the Royal Deck Tea Room. Enjoy traditional teas, delicious cakes, sandwiches, and spectacular views of the docks and the Firth of Forth . It’s a great way to reflect on your visit to Britannia before deciding where to go next.

Attend a Special Event : The Royal Yacht Britannia hosts a variety of events throughout the year, from Hogmanay celebrations to Burn’s Night suppers . To see which events are coming up next, head to the official Royal Yacht Britannia website .

Visit The Gift Shop : You cannot miss Britannia’s gift shop in Ocean Terminal which offers a wide range of exclusive gifts and souvenirs. From royal memorabilia to nautical-themed toys, you’re bound to find the perfect memento for your visit.

Things to Do Nearby

Ocean Terminal . 74 Ocean Dr., Leith, Edinburgh, EH6 6JJ. 2-minute walk. A large shopping centre that’s one of the first arrival points for ships sailing into the Firth of Forth. Ocean Terminal contains a collection of restaurants, coffee shops, and department stores.

Leith . 8-minute walk. A vibrant and historic area of Edinburgh that is renowned for its trendy bars and restaurants. Leith is architecturally significant for the number of restored Victorian warehouses that line Commercial Street and Bernard Street. Some of Scotland’s best restaurants are located in Leith, including The Kitchin and Wishart.

The Water of Leith . Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6HE. 11-minute walk. A walkway that runs for 12 miles from the Colzium Hills outside of Edinburgh to Leith. The majority of the path is set on quiet pavement that runs alongside the river. Much loved by locals for its wildlife.

Leith Links . 4 Links Gardens, Leith, Edinburgh, EH6 8AA. 18-minute walk. Informal gardens and a play park that was historically a golf course but has been revamped into a recreation area.

Scotch Malt Whisky Society . The Vaults, 87 Giles St, Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6BZ. 13-minute walk. The Vaults is the main site for the SMWS in Edinburgh. Visitors can sample a range of quality single malt whiskies as well as gins and rums, along with optional expert-led tasting sessions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the royal yacht britannia berthed.

The Royal Yacht Britannia is berthed at Leith Port in Edinburgh, next to the Ocean Terminal shopping centre. Ocean Terminal is a 15-minute drive from Edinburgh city centre, and the Royal Yacht Britannia Visitor Centre is on the second floor. Address: Ocean Terminal, Leith, Edinburgh, EH6 6JJ.

Does the royal family still have a yacht?

No, the British Royal Family does not currently have a yacht. The last royal yacht was the HMY Britannia, which was decommissioned in 1997 and is now a museum ship in Edinburgh.

Who owns Royal Yacht Britannia?

The Royal Yacht Britannia is owned and managed by the Royal Yacht Britannia Trust.

Why did they decommission the Royal Yacht Britannia?

The Royal Yacht Britannia was decommissioned in 1997 due to maintenance costs and changing politics which meant the yacht was considered unnecessary. It was estimated in 1996 that a refit would cost £17 million and would only prolong the ship’s life for an additional 5 years.

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Craig Neil is the author, photographer, admin, and pretty much everything else behind Out About Scotland. He lives near Edinburgh and spends his free time exploring Scotland and writing about his experiences. Follow him on Pinterest , Facebook , and YouTube .

Where is the Royal Yacht Britannia and why was it decommissioned?

Queen Elizabeth’s farewell to the Royal Yacht in 1997 was one of the only occasions in her 70-year-reign that Her Majesty publicly shed a tear.

Almost 25 years ago, HMY Britannia left Portsmouth for a farewell tour around the UK . It went to six major ports across the UK, including Glasgow.

Why was the Royal Yacht Britannia decommissioned and where is it today?

Why was it decommissioned?

The Royal Yacht was decommissioned in 1994 by John Major’s Government because “the costs were too great”, according to the official website.

The decision was made after the Royal Yacht was used for a long and successful journey spanning 44 years and travelling more than one million miles across the globe.

The issue of a new royal yacht became a political issue in the run-up to the 1997 General Election, when the new Labour Government came into power.

After the election, Tony Blair’s Government confirmed in October 1997 there would be no replacement for Britannia.

It marked the end of a long tradition of British royal yachts, dating back to 1660 and the reign of Charles II.

Where is the HMY Britannia?

Britannia is permanently berthed at Ocean Terminal, Leith, in Edinburgh, Scotland .

Today, the Royal yacht is open to curious visitors and welcomes more than 300,000 visits each year.

Britannia was launched in 1953 from the John Brown and Company shipyard in Clydebank, Scotland .

Its purpose was to serve the Royal Family and it was the first to be built with complete ocean-going capacity, designed as a royal residence to entertain guests around the world.

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For more than 44 years, it travelled more than one million miles with Her Majesty for state visits, official receptions, royal honeymoons, and relaxing family holidays.

Britannia quickly became one of the most famous ships in the world and now stands as a majestic symbol of Great Britain.

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Royal Yacht Britannia – tickets, prices, discounts, afternoon tea, what to see

Royal Yacht Britannia used to be Queen Elizabeth’s Palace on Water and is now Scotland’s most popular tourist attraction. 

Known by many names such as Her Majesty’s Yacht Britannia, Queen Elizabeth’s Yacht ,  HMY Britannia, etc., this Yacht was in the Queen’s service for 44 years and sailed more than a million miles worldwide. 

It is a perfect opportunity to see how the British Queen lived when traveling with other Kings and Queens, World leaders, and celebrities. 

This article shares everything you must know before booking your tickets for the Royal Yacht Britannia tour.

Top Royal Yacht Britannia Tickets

# Royal Yacht Britannia tickets # Royal Edinburgh ticket

Table of contents

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Here is a quick video on what visitors can expect inside Her Majesty’s Yacht Britannia.

Your Royal Britannia tour starts from the Visitor Centre, on the second floor of Ocean Terminal, where you get the historical background about the Royal Family and Yachtsmen.

You then pick up the audio guide, which is part of the entry ticket, and board Queen Elizabeth’s Yacht and explore five fascinating decks.

Highlights on the Yacht’s Royal side are the Sun Lounge, the State Dining Room, and The Queen’s Bedroom.

On the ship’s operational side, you get to see the Crew’s Quarters, the Engine Room, the laundry, etc.

More than 95% of the exhibits you will see during your tour are original and are taken on loan from The Royal Collection.

If you prefer, you can also visit the Royal Deck Tea Room.

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Royal Yacht Britannia tickets

This entry ticket gets you complete access to the Royal ship that’s now berthed in Edinburgh’s historic Port of Leith.

Visitors can explore all five decks at a leisurely pace even as they take in the public and private lives of the British Royal Family.

This ticket also includes the complimentary audio guide. 

Adult ticket (18+ years): 18.50 pounds Child ticket (5 to 17 years): 9.25 Pounds  Family ticket (2 adults and up to 3 children): 50 Pounds Infant ticket (under 5 years): Free entry

This combo is known as the 48-hour Royal Edinburgh Ticket and is a real money saver. 

If you are visiting Edinburgh for the first time, we highly recommend this Royal attractions combo. 

This ticket gets you to access three of the best attractions in the city:

• Royal Yacht Britannia
• Edinburgh Castle
• Palace of Holyroodhouse

And to top it all, you also get unlimited travel for 48 hours on three of Edinburgh’s hop-on-hop-off bus tours. 

Address:  Ocean Terminal, Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6JJ, United Kingdom. Get Directions

The Royal Yacht Britannia is berthed in Leith, Edinburgh, just 2 miles from the City Centre.

Britannia’s Visitor Centre is on the second floor of Ocean Terminal, just 15 minutes’ drive from Edinburgh City Centre.

Ocean Terminal is soon going to be  re-branded  as Porta. 

There are many ways to get to the Royal Yacht. 

If you are coming by train, you must get down at  Edinburgh Waverley .

From outside the station, you can take a taxi to cover the 3.7 kms (2.3 miles) to Ocean Terminal. 

From the Waverly station, you can also take bus No. 22 and 34.

You must board the buses at  Princess Street (Stop PN) , and after 24 minutes and 27 stops, get down at  Ocean Terminal (Stop OF) .

There is a bus from the Station, every 15 minutes.

Lothian Bus services  run three buses – Bus No. 11, 22, and 35 – from Edinburgh City Centre to Ocean Terminal. 

You can purchase tickets on the bus by presenting the correct change or from the  Lothian Buses app .

A single journey on a Lothian Bus costs 1.70 Pounds. 

If you use Satnav, use the postcode EH6 6JJ. 

Else, open Google Maps to get  directions to Ocean Terminal .

If you prefer a taxi, we recommend  Uber ,  Central Taxis , or  City Cabs .

Car Parking

Royal Yacht Britannia offers free parking at Ocean Terminal.

Blue Car Park on Level E is closest to the tourist attraction’s Visitor Centre. 

This part of the Park also has spaces for Blue Badge holders. 

If you reach by foot, taxi, or bus, access to Royal Britannia is from the Ocean Terminal Shopping Center’s main entrance on the ground floor. 

You must take a lift to the 2nd floor of Ocean Terminal and walk towards the building’s East end.

You will first spot Debenhams and then HMY Britannia’s Visitor Center entrance.  Even though you can book tickets at the venue (the ticket desk is to the left of the visitor center entrance), it is better to  buy them online , much in advance, to avoid last-minute disappointment. 

During the peak months of April to October, Royal Yacht Britannia opens at 9.30 am, and the last entry is at 4.30 pm. 

The rest of the year, the Royal Yacht opens at 10 am, and the last entry is allowed till 3.30 pm. 

The last admission on 24 December is at 2.30 pm, and on 31 December it is at 3 pm. 

Royal Yacht Britannia is closed on 25 December and 1 January.

Royal Yacht Britannia tour

The Royal Yacht Britannia   tours are a perfect way to feel like a celebrity for a few hours. 

In this section, we share a few things you must know before you book your tour of the Royal ship. 

No, tours of HMY Britannia don’t start at a stipulated time. 

When you book your tickets, you only select the ‘date.’ 

On the day of your visit, reach the Royal ship between their opening hours to start exploring.

Her Majesty’s Yacht doesn’t offer guided tours. 

However, every ticket comes with an audio guide to walk around and tour the ship yourself.

Kids get their own version of the audio guide. 

You need at least two hours to explore Royal Yacht Britannia to satisfaction. 

However, if you plan to visit the Royal Deck Tea Room, you must factor in another 30 to 60 minutes. 

Visits during July and August tend to take longer because of the crowd. 

Kids up to four years get the maximum discounts at Britannia, Edinburgh – they get in for free. 

On the adult ticket price of 17 Pounds, children aged 5 to 17 years get almost 50% discount and pay only 8.75 Pounds.

Seniors who are 60+ and students with valid educational ID cards get a 2 Pound reduction on the full ticket.

People in the Armed Forces (with valid ID) can also claim the reduced price of 8.75 Pounds. 

However, this Armed Forces discount is available only at the Britannia ticket office.

Every Britannia Yacht entry ticket comes with a complimentary audio guide.

While receiving the audio guides at the Handset Desk, you can ask for straps to wear the audio guides around the neck. Headphones are also available.

Kids can opt for the children’s version of the audio guide.

The audio tour is available in 30 languages; English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Russian, Czech, Polish, Hungarian, Korean, Japanese, Urdu, Mandarin, Hindi, Arabic, Thai, Turkish, Cantonese, Punjabi, Portuguese-Brazilian, Welsh, Romanian and Gaelic. 

Besides the audio guide, visitor guides are also available through the tour route to help if you have questions.

Royal Yacht Britannia afternoon tea

The Royal Deck Tea Room is on board Britannia and tables are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

It is a perfect restaurant to enjoy freshly prepared food and stunning views of the harbor. 

The menu includes specialty coffees, cocktails, tasty soups, sandwiches, cakes, scones, etc.  Download Menu

The Royal Deck Tea Room has 35 tables and can seat 133 people.

During the peak months of April to October, the Royal Deck Team Room opens at 11 am, and the last admission is at 3.30 pm. 

January to March: Opens at 11 am, last admission at 3.30 pm

November to December: Opens at 10.30 pm, last admission at 3.45 pm

Royal Yacht Britannia interiors

Many tourists wonder what’s inside the Royal Yacht before they book their tickets. 

Some out of curiosity and some to know if a visit to Royal Yacht Britannia is worth it. 

We list below some of the highlights of this Palace on water. 

State Apartments

The State Apartments are the collection of rooms where the Royals lived or entertained their guests. 

The Royal family relaxed in the State Drawing Room whenever they traveled together. 

It also acted as a reception room for up to 250 guests. 

The Verandah Deck was a private space for the Royals, where they could sunbathe or enjoy quoits or deck hockey. 

This area of the ship also had a collapsible swimming pool for the Royal Family to splash around if they wanted.

The Sun Lounge was one of the Queen’s favorite rooms onboard HMY Brittania. 

The beautiful teak-lined room was a designated family room and offered a lot of privacy from the rest of the ship.

This massive dining room onboard Britannia has played host to the world’s most influential people, such as Nelson Mandela, Sir Winston Churchill, Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, etc. 

With its white paneled walls adorned with gifts received during State visits, this room represents ultimate luxury. 

The Engine Room is a testament to British marine engineering skills because, until the ship got decommissioned in 1997, everything was working fine. 

This room is full of gleaming brass, chrome, and white enamel with the ‘heavy stuff’ under the hood pumping 12,000 horsepower, which would help Britannia and her four-bladed propellers to a maximum of 22.5 knots.  

Eight men operated the Engine Room, Boiler Room, and associated machinery rooms.

The 240 Officers and Yachtsmen on board Her Majesty’s Yacht Britannia sometimes had to change their uniforms up to six times a day. 

This is why it was the only ship in the Royal Navy to have a laundry service permanently on board. 

The laundry machines, dryers, and steam presses on the ship worked non-stop, and sometimes the temperature even went up to 48 degrees Celcius (118 degrees Fahrenheit)

The Admiral was responsible for Royal Yacht Britannia’s safe functioning and commanded the 19 officers and 220 Yachtsmen who operated the ship.

He worked, entertained, and often ate (he couldn’t join the other officers in their mess unless invited) in the Admiral’s Cabin. Image: Royalyachtbritannia.co.uk  

The Bridge was HMY Britannia’s center of command and control on all her journeys. 

From here, the officers reporting into the Admiral navigated, passed orders, recorded the logbooks, etc.

Back then, all Royal Navy ships had a Navy, Army, and Air Force Institute shop, known as the NAAFI. 

The crew members and the officers would shop for their daily needs, such as toothpaste, shaving creams, magazines, etc. in this shop. 

Sources # Royalyachtbritannia.co.uk # Architecturaldigest.com # Wikipedia.org # Tripadvisor.com The travel specialists at TheBetterVacation.com use only high-quality sources while researching & writing their articles. We make every attempt to keep our content current, reliable and trustworthy .

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This article was researched & written by

Jamshed V Rajan

He is a two-faced traveler, who enjoys both the hustle-bustle of an urban holiday and the serenity of a break from the rest of the World. During some of his vacations, he is a resort hopper, and on others, he barely spends time in his hotel. He loves to try mouth-watering local cuisines, especially non-vegetarian dishes. Favourite Cities: Amsterdam, Las Vegas, Dublin, Prague, Vienna

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Visiting the Royal Yacht Britannia in Edinburgh

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We took the chance to tour the HMY Royal Yacht Britannia as part of our UK ( Scotland) road trip . A few photos and words on what’s inside the Royal Yacht Britannia in Edinburgh. I loved it, it took some persuading to get the kids on there, but once on they enjoyed it.

If you, like us, had been watching the Netflix series about The Queen, The Crown, you may be all the more interested.

Watching this show as a f amily in Vietnam got us thinking about history and made us interested enough to go see the Royal Yacht for ourselves.

We visited Britannia while staying at the Novotel Edinburgh Park (very convenient, good breakfast and dinners, family rooms, parking and near the zoo. Link opens in a new tab) as part of our UK and Scotland road trip .

You can save the image below to Pinterest.

We also took the Hogwarts Express (The Jacobite train, it was very disappointing), visited the Scottish Wildlife Park in Aviemore, took a look at Loch Ness and much more. We have plenty more content to come on things to do in Scotland.

The Royal Yacht Britannia in Edinburgh

It’s actually HMY Britannia, Her Majesty’s Yacht Britannia and she served Queen Elizabeth II between 1954 and 1997.

The British monarchy traditionally own a yacht, it’s been happening since the 1600s but maybe, sadly, Britannia will be the last. The labour government decided she should be retired and not replaced back in 1997.

She was retired in 1997 after travelling over a million nautical miles and now lives in Edinburgh at Ocean Terminal, Leith. Hundreds of thousands of visitors come to see her each year. She was built in Scotland ( on the Clyde) and now rests in Scotland.

Visiting Britannia at Ocean Terminal Leith

Ocean Terminal is a large shopping and dining mall type building on the dock at Leith.

There is ample parking in the multi-story car park and once parked you’ll be undercover other than when on the deck of Britannia, so this is a good rainy day thing to do in Edinburgh.

Admission is paid and there is a small museum, photos and a gift shop inside the Ocean Terminal complex.

Before boarding Britannia you will collect your audio guide. These give you a fascinating guided tour of the ship and what went on for crew and passengers back in the day.

There is a small café and fudge shop on board.

Britannia is part of the National Historic Fleet and the attraction is now run by a registered charity, the Royal Yacht Britannia Trust.

Save this pin to Pinterest so you don’t forget to visit!

Interesting Things to See on Britannia

Brittania isn’t just the Queen’s boat, there are plenty of other cool things to see on board other than the Royal bedrooms, drawing rooms and dining rooms.

Britannia was a working ship with a crew, you can check out the sailors’ and officers’ quarters, their mess rooms, which are basically bars, the kitchens and maybe most interestingly, the on-ship surgery.

Look out for wombat, you’ll find him hanging out on board. He has tales to tell.

Britannia was designed to be used as a hospital ship in the event of war. Back in the cold war days we were always worrying about nuclear war, in that instance she was to be a refuge for the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, somewhere off Scotland.

Britannia with Kids

My teen and tween quite enjoyed it. They liked it far more than I expected and The Crown series had a lot to do with that.

They understood why this ship is a piece of history and who the people in the photos were.

Despite dress-up ops, wombat and corgi selfies, it would be pretty dull for small kids.

We hope you find our brief review of HMY Britania useful, we loved it. It was really cool to see a slice of history in person, up close. Thank you Your Majesty for letting us look at your yacht. And send our love to your grandson, he’s a friend of ours .

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By Kingfisher Visitor Guides

The floating palace now berthed just north of Edinburgh was once the majestic symbol of the Royal Family and the greatness of Britain.

A Royal experience

The Royal Yacht Britannia was launched in 1953. During her 44 years in service, she hosted four royal honeymoons, sailed over one million nautical miles, and welcomed luminaries including Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela and many presidents of the United States.

Follow in the footsteps of royalty as you step aboard The Royal Yacht Britannia

The history, opulence, symbolism and majesty of HMY Britannia may hark to a bygone era, but today the Royal Yacht sits proudly berthed in Ocean Terminal, Leith as a beacon of hope for the peoples of the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and beyond.

Tender loving care

The first sea-going royal yacht in a line of 83 such vessels (stretching back to 1660), HMY Britannia was commissioned just two days before the death of King George IV.

His majesty was already in failing health and it was hoped that Britannia would help the king with his symptoms. The last in the line of royal yachts was launched just two months before the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

The first sea-going royal yacht in a line of 83 such vessels (stretching back to 1660), HMY Britannia was commissioned just two days before the death of King George IV

Honeymoon suite

Britannia’s honeymoon suite (the only room on board with a double bed) hosted the post-nuptial vacations of Princess Margaret and Anthony Armstrong-Jones (1960), Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips (1973), Prince Charles and Princess Diana (1981) and Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson (1986).

HMY Britannia made 696 foreign visits, introducing the British royal family to many nations who had never seen them before. She also undertook 272 trips in British waters, often the summer holidays of royalty. The royal yacht was intended as the safe haven for the Queen and Prince Philip in the event of a nuclear war.

You should allow two to three hours for your visit to HMY Britannia. There are five decks to explore along with the Royal Apartments (including the Queen’s bedroom and sun lounge) along with the lavish State Dining Room.

You can also visit the bridge and the staff quarters. Britannia was the last British naval ship to utilise hammocks for the crew to sleep in. Relive life on a true floating royal residence complete with laundry and sickbay.

Take a selfie next to the iconic Royal Yacht Britannia bell

Make time to visit Britannia’s garage where you will see the vintage Rolls Royce in which the royal family continued their journeys onwards by land. Included in the admission price is a free audio handset tour, available in 30 different languages.

Where can I find the Royal Yacht Britannia?

Britannia is berthed at Edinburgh’s Leith Harbour. The historic docks have been modernised into a tourist destination.

Entrance to the yacht is through the Ocean Terminal, a shopping centre with restaurants and bars. There is a visitor centre exhibiting artefacts and an interactive history of Britannia before you board.

Visit the Royal Yacht Britannia for a great day out

Location: Ocean Terminal, Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6JJ Opening hours: July-August 9.30am-4pm, September-December 10am-3.30pm Cost: Adult £17, concession £15, child 5-17 £8.75, child under 5 free, family £47 Visit website

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Image credits: ©Helen Pugh/Marc Millar/Tony Marsh Photography/The Royal Yacht Britannia; Video: Royal Yacht Britannia/YouTube

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The Old British Royal Yacht Britannia Is Now A Museum & You Can Visit In Edinburgh

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• The HMY Britannia is an excellent museum ship in the UK, alongside other famous naval ships like the HMS Victory.
• The Britannia served as a royal residence for the British Monarchy and had a crew of volunteers from the Royal Navy and Royal Marines.
• Visitors can explore the Britannia in Edinburgh, learning about the Royal Family's accommodations and enjoying attractions like the Royal Sailing Exhibition.

The Royal Yacht Britannia (or Her Majesty's Yacht Britannia ) is one of the more unusual ship museums in the United Kingdom (the United States has its two equivalent preserved Presidential Yachts to explore). She serviced between 1954 and 1997 and is now a museum open to the public in Edinburgh, one of the most beautiful cities to explore in the UK.

The HMY Royal Yacht Britannia is one of the United Kingdom's number of excellent museum ships worth visiting, including the HMS Victory (the oldest naval ship still floating) .

What To Know Of The HMY Britannia - The Royal Floating Residence

The HMY Britannia is the old royal yacht of the British monarchy and was the 83rd vessel since King Charles II in 1660 to serve the Royal Family. During her period of service, she was one of the Royal residences of the Royal Family (visitors can explore many of the Royal residences in London and Edinburgh today ).

• Displacement: 5,769 Gross Tons
• Length: 412 feet or 126 meters
• Capacity: 250 guests, 21 officers, and 250 Royal Yachtsmen

She was designed with three masts. She was even intended to be a place of refuge for the royal family in the time of war off the northwest coast of Scotland. She was also designed to be converted into a hospital ship in case of war (but that never happened).

• HMY Britannia was used to evacuate some 1,000 refugees from Yemen in 1986.

Related: How To Vacation Aboard A Charter Yacht Without Breaking The Bank

History & Service Of The HMY Britannia

HMY Britannia went on to travel over a million nautical miles around the proverbial Seven Seas calling into over 600 ports in some 135 countries.

• Miles: 1,087,623 nautical miles (2,014,278 km)
• Visits: 696 Foreign Visits, 272 Domestic British Visits

She was crewed by volunteers from the Royal Navy (some went on to serve aboard her for more than 20 years). She also had a detachment of the Royal Marines aboard. She was also escorted by a Royal Navy warship when she was on royal duties.

Britannia's maiden voyage took her from Portsmouth in England to Grand Harbour in Malta. In 1959, she sailed the newly opened Saint Lawrence Seaway as she made her way to Chicago (it was the first time a British monarch had visited Chicago).

• Commissioned: 1954
• Decommissioned: 1997

Over her 43-year career, she welcomed Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton aboard. She was decommissioned in 1997 and she was not replaced.

There have been suggestions to replace the Royal Yacht, but as of 2023, it seems these plans have gone nowhere.

In the past, yachts were important for heads of state to get around, but now they mostly fly.

Related: Visit Hillsborough Castle: The Royal Residence Of Northern Ireland

What To Know About Visiting The HMY Britannia

The HMY Britannia is one of the most notable attractions in Edinburgh today and is open to the public. The Britannia is a popular location in the city and attracts some 300,000 visitors every year.

Visitors can discover her rooms and secrets across five decks. Along the way, visitors learn about where the Royal Family would stay and the rooms and cabins for her 220 Royal Yachtsmen who served on her.

Admission comes with a free audio guide. Notable attractions on the five decks of the Britannia include the bridge, Queen Elizabeth II's favorite room, the crew quarters, the engine room, and browsing the Royal Sailing Exhibition.

• Location: Berthed at Ocean Terminal, Edinburgh, Scotland
• Admission: £18.50 ($24) - Adults

Opening Hours:

• April To August: 10:00 am to 6:00 pm (Last Admission 4:00 pm)
• November to December: 10:00 am to 5:00 pm (Last Admission 3:00 pm)

This is a British ship so naturally the Britannia Museum offers a cup of tea. Take the time to relax in the Royal Deck Tearoom and enjoy a soup, cake, scone, tea, coffee, or other refreshments while gazing out over the waterfront.

The admission hours vary throughout the year and the last admission is two hours before closing time. The Royal Yacht Britannia is closed on New Year's Day and Christmas Day.

The tickets can't be booked in advance, and they can only be booked in person at the Ocean Terminal Shopping Centre. For more information about visiting the Royal Yacht, refer to its website .

Those who would like to take their visit to the next level can consider staying the night on the museum's sister ship, the Fingal . The Fingal is Scotland's only luxury floating hotel and is moored near the Royal Yacht. She has 22 luxurious cabins and comes with the Fingal Lighthouse Restaurant & Bar.

While in Edinburgh take the time to visit the Palace of Holyroodhouse , the royal home of Scotland and then British monarchs. In England, visit Windsor Castle and see the longest continuously occupied palace in the world .

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ALL ABOARD! Royal Yacht Britannia

Prince Charles and Princess Diana honeymooned on the vessel in the Mediterranean, as did three other royal couples, (Princess Margaret and Anthony Armstrong Jones, Princess Anne and Captain Mark Philips, as well as the Duke and Duchess of York). The chance to peer into the premises is not to be missed.

Welcoming the Queen on board was no easy task. For each state visit the royal family brought with them five tonnes of luggage - including Malvern water for the Queen's tea - and 45 members of the royal household to tend to their needs.

Knowing this, it is a surprise when you enter the ship's royal quarters which are remarkably spartan. But this was exactly what the Queen desired. The original plans were much more ornate, but Her Majesty rejected these proposals in favour of a more simple, "country-house" feel for her floating home.

The yacht was manned by 20 officers and 220 yachtsmen, and there were never any females to be found amongst their numbers. All the officers underwent a two-year tour of duty, as did half the crew. The remaining portion were permanently positioned on Britannia. For this honour they received no extra pay, allowances or leave.

On the 16 th of April 1953, ship number 691 embarked upon her maiden voyage, setting out on the first of over a million miles she would sail, equivalent to once round the world for every year in operation. The world's royalty, presidents and other famous figures were to travel on this glorious vessel, which now provides a fascinating insight into the 'real' lives of our monarchy.

When you enter Britannia's visitor centre, it immediately becomes obvious that this is a new attraction. Everything is pristine and modern. The tour begins with a short introductory video, taking you through a brief overview of Britannia's history.

After the video you enter the visitor centre proper, where there is a selection of family and state pictures. After watching the Queen greet American leaders just seconds before in the video room, it is poignant to see photos of her casually laughing with the crew, or Princess Diana and her children relaxing by the ship's railings.

One of the tiny cabins - where six petty officers or sergeants would sleep on bunks which a Lilliputian would struggle to sleep in, never mind a strapping sailor - has been removed and reassembled in the visitor centre. On Britannia the crew would have lived in cramped conditions where they had little luxury and even less privacy. It was the only ship in the Royal Navy where the sailors were called by their first name.

However, a commission on Britannia was anything but plain sailing for the staff. Shouting was forbidden at all times to preserve the air of tranquillity that existed onboard. All orders were relayed by hand signal, and "red hot" notice boards were used if there were any last-minute orders to be posted. A commission on Britannia wasn't all glamour and glitz either. The sailors had to man a 24-hour laundry service where temperatures could climb above 120°C.

On a state visit to the Arabian Gulf in 1979 the Queen was presented with over £1 million of gifts, including a diamond-studded watch, huge natural pearls and a chain mail gold pinafore. Somehow, you can't quite imagine the Queen tottering around the palace kitchen in her gold "pinnie"!

After seeing round the visitor centre, it's time to pick up the audio tour handset and board the former royal yacht. The audio tour allows visitors to inspect the royal yacht at their own pace. It's easy to imagine yourself as a guest onboard as you are allowed to freely wander around the yacht, within the designated areas.

The audio tour begins on the flag deck - the highest part of the yacht. Looking down at the royal bridge - where many famous pictures of the royal family were taken - your attention is drawn to a mahogany bar in the middle of the deck. At first glance it appears to have no function, but the tape explains that this was here to preserve royal modesty in case a breeze lifted the ladies' skirts!

The senior officers' accommodation was located on the shelter deck. The Admiral's day cabin is the most spacious and comfortable room outside of the royal apartments. His sofa and armchairs were brought from the previous royal yacht, the Victoria and Albert III.

Nine admirals had the honour of serving on Britannia. They were responsible for a crew of 19 officers and 220 yachtsmen. When the Queen was on board, the Admiral dined in the royal quarters. However, when she was not present he could entertain guests in his own rooms.

Within the royal quarters there is a large deck where the royal family relaxed and played. One of the favourite games was deck hockey - and at least the royals didn't have to worry about knocking balls into the neighbours' property!

The sun lounge - overlooking this deck - was one of the Queen's favourite places on Britannia. This is the most homely room on the tour, with a relaxed family feel to the surroundings. Here you can imagine Her Majesty escaping from the constant pressures of her state duties, relaxing on a sun lounger, sipping a small sherry while watching her grandchildren play in privacy - far away from the constantly prying eyes of the press.

Prince Philip picked and purchased the room's lightweight, colourful furniture in 1959 during a visit to Hong Kong. The Queen was fond of breakfasting in this room, enjoying the spectacular scenery through the large windows.

Both the Queen and Prince Philip's bedrooms are surprisingly simple. Both had their own bathrooms, and an interconnecting door links the two rooms which are mirror images in design, though each reflects the individual's tastes. While the Queen's pillows have lace borders, Prince Philip preferred a more masculine feel to his room.

If either required a nocturnal snack they pressed a button at the side of their bed to summon a steward, who was constantly on call to tend to their needs.

After viewing the royal quarters, you head back along the portside, downstairs to the section of the ship were food was prepared, served and relished by both officers and royalty. The officers' wardroom, where the 19 serving on Britannia would gather, is akin to a floating gentlemen's club. The large dining room table where they would take their meals dressed in their distinguished red sea rig is adorned by fine crystal.

Serving as an officer on Britannia was an honour that carried some benefits. When the Royal Marine Band was not on royal duty, they would provide a musical accompaniment to the meal. Wines would be taken from Britannia's wine cellars, and at the end of every meal the men would stand and drink a toast to Her Majesty before the musicians played the national anthem. Unusual rooms include the "Jelly Room," where the royal children's desserts were stored.

Although much of the silverware on Britannia is Edwardian it doesn't look dated. That's because exacting standards were required to preserve these treasures. A yachtsman had the pleasure of polishing the massive silverware collection on a daily basis. It is easy to understand why 240 tins of Brasso were brought on board for a three-month deployment!

The royal dining area is the first place on the ship that more closely resembles a museum than a home. The grand polished mahogany dining room table is adorned with gleaming silverware, sparkling candelabras and fine china.

Guests to this table were presented with the menus, printed in French, as a souvenir of their time on Britannia. And even when the royal family dined alone they would always dress for dinner. When Princess Margeret honeymooned on the royal yacht she wore her tiara at every evening meal!

It is a wonderful feeling disembarking Britannia. You feel as if you've just experienced a bit of history. Throughout our lives we have watched pictures of royalty and politicians waving from her decks, and it's really something to feel you've followed in their footsteps.

The free-and-easy feel to the tour and the minimal changes to the layout of the ship, make it easy to understand why Britannia is well on its way to becoming one of the top visitor attractions in Scotland.

Former Royal Yacht Britannia Ocean Drive Leith Edinburgh Tel: (0131) 555 8800 Opening Hours

Britannia is open all year round. Admission times are: January to March Weekdays 10.00am - 3.30pm Weekends 9.30am - 4.30pm April to May Weekdays 9.30am to 4pm Weekends 9.30am to 4.30pm June to September Weekdays 9.30am to 4.30pm Weekends 9.30am to 4.30pm

*Britannia will be closed between 24 September to 3 October 2001 for the yacht's move to Ocean Terminal. October to December Weekdays 10am to 3.30pm Weekends 9.30am to 4.30pm Britannia is closed on Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Admission Charges

Adult - £7.75 Seniors (aged 60+) - £5.95 Child (aged 5-17) - £3.75 Family (2 Adults & up to 3 Children) - £20.00 Students (with ID) -£3.75

The Royal Yacht Britannia is operated by a Charitable Trust and all profits go towards her long-term maintenance.

How to Book

All tickets to visit Britannia must be pre-booked and are sold on a timed entry basis to ensure the comfort and enjoyment of all our visitors. We recommend that you allow 1½ to 2 hours for your visit.

By Telephone: Our credit card booking and information line is open daily from 9am to 5.30pm. We look forward to taking your calls on ( 0131) 555 5566 . Please note that if you require your tickets to be posted to you an administration charge of £1 will apply.

By Post: If you would prefer to book your tickets by cheque or postal order, please write to The Booking Office, The Royal Yacht Britannia, Ocean Drive, Leith, Edinburgh, EH6 6JJ. Please send the appropriate amount stating your preferred time and date of visit along with your full contact details. Please note that if you require your tickets to be posted to you an administration charge of £1 will apply.

In Person: Tickets can also be purchased in person from The Britannia Visitor Centre. A limited number of tickets can also be purchased in person from our own reception desk, although, admission cannot be guaranteed for personal callers at weekends, holidays and other busy times of the year.

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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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The Royal Yacht Britannia: How The Queen created a floating home and theatre of state

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The Queen was the best-travelled monarch in British history. John Goodall looks at the story of the Royal Yacht Britannia, now permanently moored in Leith, Edinburgh. Photographs by Paul Highnam.

‘I name this ship Britannia . I wish success to her and to all who sail in her.’

With these words, on April 16, 1953, The Queen released a bottle of ‘Empire wine’ — a post-war economy in place of Champagne — to launch the Royal Yacht Britannia . The name of the ship had been kept secret and, hearing it declared, the assembled crowd gave a huge roar of approval. To the sound of more cheers, and as a band played Rule Britannia , the 4,000-ton hull, No 691, slid slowly down the slipway from the Clydebank shipyard of John Brown & Co, into the river, and was towed by tugs to the fitting-out basin upstream.

From as early as 1939, bids had been invited to construct a new Royal Yacht capable of long-distance travel. War and austerity put paid to the initiative, but a visit by George VI to South Africa in 1947 on board the battleship HMS Vanguard revived it. As The Queen commented at Britannia ’s launch, George VI ‘felt most strongly, as I do, that a yacht was a necessity and not a luxury for the Head of our great British Commonwealth, between whose countries the sea is no barrier, but the natural and indestructible highway’.

Fig 1: The Sun Lounge. The wall-mounted telephone to the right is identical to those installed in Buckingham Palace. The Royal Yacht Britannia. ©Paul Highnam for Country Life

In October 1951, therefore, the Labour Prime Minister Clement Attlee announced the government’s intention to build a yacht capable of conversion into a hospital ship in time of war. A General Election, however, almost immediately passed responsibility for realising the £2.1 million project to a Conservative government under Sir Winston Churchill and the King authorised the commission in writing on February 5, 1952, the day before he died. Britannia claims to be the 83rd Royal Yacht in succession to Mary , which was presented to Charles II by the people of Amsterdam at the Restoration in 1660. The first steam-powered Royal Yacht was launched in 1843.

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Both the Duke of Edinburgh — himself, of course, a naval officer with a technical interest in, and understanding of, ships — and The Queen were closely involved in the design and decoration of Britannia . As the Duke explained in an interview in 1995, she ‘was rather special as far as we were concerned because we were involved from the very beginning in organising the design and furnishing and equipping and hanging the pictures and everything else… All the other places we live in had been built by predecessors’. This close involvement makes the royal apartment within the yacht one of the most coherent surviving expressions of the royal couple’s personal interests and taste.

One outward mark of their involvement in Britannia is the deep blue of the hull ( Fig 2 ) , which is borrowed — together with its enlivening band of gold leaf — from the Dragon Class racing yacht Bluebottle , which was a wedding gift in 1948. The main interiors of the yacht, meanwhile, were created with the assistance of Sir Hugh Casson, who had recently been knighted for his work as director of architecture for the Festival of Britain.

Fig 3: The State Dining Room. Hung on the walls are gifts from around the world. The Royal Yacht Britannia. ©Paul Highnam for Country Life

By Casson’s account — recorded in a series of interviews in early 1990 for the National Life Stories of the British Library Oral History Project — the dockyard had initially turned to the established local firm of McInnes Gardner to furnish the yacht. The Duke of Edinburgh, however, judged its Louis XVII-style proposals as too much in the character of a transatlantic liner. He requested something simpler and asked the furniture designer Gordon Russell for advice. Russell suggested Casson on the strength of his Festival of Britain experience. By happy coincidence, Casson loved liners, having spent part of his childhood in Southampton.

Casson had never properly met his royal clients before this commission and time was of the essence. After a sequence of interviews with the Duke of Edinburgh, the Admiralty and a representative of McInnes Gardner, he quickly produced a series of large watercolour sketches of the main rooms that were posted off to the Royal Family at Balmoral. That done, and in company with John Wright, an architect and furniture designer in his office, he visited the previous Royal Yacht — Victoria and Albert III , built in 1899 and retired in 1937 — to salvage fittings. These included her picture collection, china, silver, linen and glass. Two ornate compasses or binnacles were also rescued, but these, in fact, originally came from a yet earlier vessel, Queen Victoria’s Royal George .

Fig 4: The State Drawing Room, with its regulation electric fire. ©Paul Highnam for Country Life

Soon afterwards, Casson, Wright and a Mr McInnes Gardner of the eponymous Glasgow firm, were summoned to Balmoral, where they arrived one morning at breakfast time. There was an informal meeting soon afterwards, with The Queen sitting by the fire and Princess Anne combing her hair, at which his royal clients professed themselves delighted with the designs. They requested, however, that the watercolours be laid out for further discussion after the immediate business of the morning, a church service.

What discussion the drawings elicited is unclear, but Casson makes it apparent that the Duke of Edinburgh was otherwise a crucial point of connection in the design process and that the choice of fabrics was taken by the royal couple. The next day, Casson was dismissed with an instruction to get on with the work and send samples of materials. He was also given a brace of pheasant bearing a prominent label ‘From The Queen’, which he hung ostentatiously from the luggage rack of his train carriage as he travelled south.

Casson’s stated aim in Britannia was to create a country-house interior in the yacht, although the conscious simplicity perhaps more powerfully evokes the residence of a British colonial governor or High Commissioner. He proposed a single colour carpet throughout, white walls, polished mahogany doors and some gilding of highlights. His accomplished and loosely worked watercolour sketches have the effect of bringing the picture hang and the furniture to the fore, setting chintz patterns and pastel tones against the clean lines and bold details of the architecture. To a striking degree, and despite repair and renovation, the interiors of the yacht still resemble these views.

Fig 5: The grand staircase connecting the royal bedroom suites with the state rooms. The Royal Yacht Britannia. ©Paul Highnam for Country Life

Incorporated within the Upper Deck are the State Drawing Room — the fireplace within it had to be fitted with an electric fire because of naval regulations ( Fig 4 ) — and the State Dining Room ( Fig 3 ) . Between them is an anteroom and the main stair ( Fig 5 ) , as well as sitting rooms for the Duke and The Queen ( Fig 6 ) . The stairwell also incorporates the formal entrance to the yacht, making this the hallway of the royal apartment. On the Shelter Deck above are the private family rooms, including the Duke’s and The Queen’s bedrooms ( Fig 8 ) , each with its own bathroom. There is also the Sun Lounge ( Fig 1 ) , a room with large windows that opens onto the verandah deck towards the stern.

The royal apartment occupies about a third of the yacht and has its own connected cabins, services and galley. All the remainder was organised in the manner of a working Royal Navy vessel. To man the ship was a crew of up to 220 yachtsmen and 21 officers under the command of an admiral or commodore (rather than a captain). The crew was divided into several departments, including a Royal Marine band. There is a bridge, wheelhouse, accommodation, wardroom and messes, a sick-bay and storage. The diesel engines drove two geared steam turbines that gave her a top speed of 22½ knots and a range of about 2,196 miles at 20 knots.

Much about the life of Britannia was unusual. The uniform was distinctive, with such details as a silk bow at the back of the trousers. Gym shoes were worn on deck and, to avoid noise, there was no tannoy system or shouting. Instead telephones and hand signals were used to communicate. Because of its role as a floating palace and the need for impeccable clothes, the laundry was particularly important. In addition to the Royal Barge — the original from Victoria and Albert III was replaced in 1964 by one built by Camper Nicholson — the yacht also had a garage for either a Land Rover or The Queen’s Phantom V Rolls Royce.

Fig 6: The Queen’s Sitting Room, with its desk. The Royal Yacht Britannia. ©Paul Highnam for Country Life

In November 1953, as work to Britannia was still under way, The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh set off on their first and longest Commonwealth tour aboard the passenger liner Gothic . Their new yacht set out to meet them as they returned, carrying the young Prince of Wales and Princess Anne. The family party embarked from Tobruk on May 1, 1954 and returned to Britain, picking up Churchill (and Casson) in the Solent. Having reviewed the fleet, Britannia sailed into the Port of London to public welcome. A painting of the yacht passing beneath Tower Bridge on that occasion was later hung in pride of place over the drawing-room fireplace.

For the next 44 years, Britannia worked busily in the service of Britain and the Commonwealth and played a role in more than 700 royal visits. In the process, she served not only as a means of transport, but as a home and a theatre of state. One of her regular duties was an annual summer cruise taking the Royal Family from the Cowes Regatta off the Isle of Wight to the Western Isles of Scotland. She also acted as a honeymoon retreat for several royal couples. The Queen was seen to relax on board in a way that was impossible elsewhere.

Fig 7: The engine room, with its immaculate machinery. Britannia sailed her millionth mile in February 1994. The Royal Yacht Britannia. ©Paul Highnam for Country Life

In 1994, when on a Caribbean trip, Britannia passed her millionth nautical mile and there was a celebration in the engine room ( Fig 7 ) , where The Queen and the Duke cut a ribbon and a cake. By then, however, she was becoming a dated vessel and, in 1995, a decision was taken by the Conservative Government of John Major that Britannia should not sail beyond 1997. This opened up discussions on the creation of a ‘cost-effective elegant royal yacht’, a project rather awkwardly compressed into the acronym CELERY. The idea of a replacement for Britannia was eventually incorporated into the Conservative manifesto of 1997, but with the Opposition never having been consulted, the provision of a new yacht now became a heated political issue.

Following the Labour general election victory that year, therefore, the idea of replacing Britannia was scrapped. Tony Blair made a visit to the yacht soon afterwards and has been quoted as saying that he regretted the decision as soon as he stepped on board.

Fig 8: The Queen’s Bedroom, with its modest single bed. The embroidered silk panel over the bed was designed by Joan Nicholson. The Royal Yacht Britannia. ©Paul Highnam for Country Life

The fate of Britannia , however, was by now sealed. On June 30, 1997, she performed her final state role, in the handover of Hong Kong to China, carrying the governor out of the harbour. She returned to Britain to be decommissioned at Portsmouth on December 11, 1997. After a gathering of the Royal Family on board, The Queen was piped ashore for the last time at exactly 15:01. The time is still displayed on all the clocks onboard. In a rare display of emotion, she was seen to shed a tear for the ship that had been her creation and home for so long.

In the past, Royal Yachts had either been scuttled or broken up. In the case of Britannia , however, the Government invited bids from UK organisations to present her to the public as a tourist attraction. From the seven bids considered, that of Edinburgh was judged the most successful and, since July 5, 1998, the yacht has been berthed beside Ocean Terminal shopping centre at Leith under the care of the The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust. She has not only proved a popular tourist attraction, but continues to operate as a venue for private hire. On display at Britannia are three royal sailing vessels, The Queen’s ocean-racing yacht Bloodhound , Bluebottle and Coweslip . The trust also owns a former lighthouse supply vessel, Fingal , now converted into Scotland’s only luxury floating hotel.

The political battle over the question of whether Britain should have a Royal Yacht continues into this Platinum Jubilee year. Whatever the outcome, Britannia deserves to be better known as a remarkable surviving example of taste at the start of Britain’s second Elizabethan Age.

For further information and opening hours, visit www.royalyachtbritannia.co.uk

This article was originally published in June 2022.

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Where is Royal Yacht Britannia now?

• Patrick Knox
• Catherine Micallef
• Published : 7:57, 30 May 2022
• Updated : 15:55, 30 May 2022

THE Royal Yacht Britannia was the former royal yacht of the Queen from 1954 until 1997.

Now, it acts as a tourist attraction as its long-serving maritime days to Her Majesty  are over.

Where is the Royal Yacht Britannia now?

The ship is permanently berthed in Leith docks which is just 15 minutes from Edinburgh city centre.

It is cared for by the Royal Yacht Britannia Trust, a registered charity.

Its location was controversial because some thought the ship would be better brought to the Clyde where it was built.

But the redevelopment of disused parts of the Forth harbour and the advent of the Scottish Parliament meant the ship was brought to the Scots capital instead.

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When was the royal yacht britannia decommissioned.

By 1997 the ship, which had been launched in 1953, had become too costly to run.

When the new Labour government was elected in 1997 a replacement was not ordered.

After making one last voyage to Hong Kong to convey the colony’s last governor, Chris Patten, and the Prince of Wales for the territory's hand-over, the ship sailed back to Britain.

Here it was decommissioned in a ceremony during which the Queen shed a tear for her beloved yacht.

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Can i visit the royal yacht britannia.

Yes you can.

Some 300,000 visitors do annually.

It is berthed in Ocean Terminal in Leith docks and is open every day except Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

You can survey the whole ship and experience it just as countless world leaders have, including Sir Winston Churchill , Boris Yeltsin, Rajiv Gandhi, Nelson Mandela.

And you can even enjoy afternoon tea on board.

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• Queen Elizabeth II

Where is the former royal yacht Britannia moored now? Where was it built and can I visit it?

Her Majesty's Yacht no longer carries the monarch and has been out of service for a quarter of a century

• 20:17, 5 JUN 2022
• Updated 20:25, 5 JUN 2022

The Queen has this weekend celebrated her Platinum Jubilee. The monarch has been on the throne since 1952 and parties and other events have taken place to mark the occasion.

Some things are synonymous with the Queen - including her homes in Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and Sandringham. Other famous royal possessions include her hats, her handbag and of course the Corgis.

There's one famous Royal item that hasn't appeared as part of this year's Platinum Jubilee Celebrations in the capital. However for many years it is was strongly associated with the Queen.

Read More: The only two Kings to have reigned longer than Queen Elizabeth II

We're talking of course about Her Majesty's Yacht Britannia. Otherwise simply known as "The Royal Yacht".

The vessel carried royals around the world from 1954 until 1997. And over those 43 years it is said to have clocked up more than a million nautical miles.

Was it the first royal yacht? And will it be the last?

No. There have been royal yachts since long before Britannia - which was built at Clydebank in Dunbartonshire. It was the 83rd royal yacht since King Charles II took the throne in 1660 and restored the English monarchy.

It wasn't even the first royal yacht called Britannia. A previous royal yacht called Britannia built for the future King Edward VII in 1893.

Although Britain has been without a royal yacht for a quarter of a century now, there are plans for a new royal ship. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has previously discussed plans for a 'new national flagship' within the next few years that would potentially fulfil a similar role.

What happened to the Britannia and where is it berthed now?

The Britannia carried out its last mission in 1997 when it brought the Prince of Wales and the last Governor of Hong Kong back to the UK after the ceremony to hand the territory over to the People's Republic of China. The Queen, who rarely shows emotion in public, is said to have shed a tier over the decommissioning of the yacht.

The Britannia is now birthed in the Port of Leith in Edinburgh in Scotland. The moored vessel is a tourist popular attraction for visitors to the Scottish capital - who can visit the Queen's bedroom and the yacht's on board garage, among its other features.

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Fingal is a luxury floating hotel and exclusive use venue, owned by The Royal Yacht Britannia. Berthed in Edinburgh’s fashionable waterfront, Fingal has 22 luxury cabins that reflect the history of this former Northern Lighthouse vessel. Visiting Edinburgh soon? Why not try the ‘Aboard Fingal’ package, including a bottle of Moët Champagne and tickets to The Royal Yacht Britannia.

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Visit Coburg House in the heart of Leith, a fantastic hub of local artists, designers and makers.

Address: 15 Coburg Street, Edinburgh EH6 6ET Distance: 0.8 mile

The Port of Leith Distillery

Tour Scotland's first vertical distillery. Learn about the story of this unique, new whisky distillery in Leith, and fill your own miniature bottle. The top-floor bar offers a fabulous selection of whiskies and panoramic views across Britannia and over to Fife.

Address: 11 Whisky Quay, Leith, Edinburrgh Distance: 387 feet

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Explore the highlights of Edinburgh with Edinburgh Bus Tour’s hop-on hop-off five-star tours.

Address: Edinburgh Bus Tours, Waverley Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1BQ Distance: 3.3 miles

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An iconic feature of Edinburgh’s skyline. Discover this historic fortress for yourself.

Address: Castlehill, Edinburgh EH1 2NG Distance: 3.3 miles

Palace of Holyrood House

Discover The King's official residence in Edinburgh, just a short journey from Britannia.

Address: Canongate, Edinburgh EH8 8DX Distance: 3 miles

The Real Mary King's Close

Unlock the secrets of Edinburgh’s only preserved 17th century street through the Old Town alleyways at The Real Mary King’s Close.

Address: Warriston's Close, 2, High St, Edinburgh EH1 1PG Distance: 2.7 miles

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Address: 1 Summerhall, Newington, Edinburgh, EH9 1PL Distance: 3.5 miles

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