The Royal Yacht Britannia. A much-loved favourite of HRH Queen Elizabeth II

HRH Queen Elizabeth was amazing. She worked right up to the end when it cannot have been easy, yet never let it show.

Despite all the television coverage, I have never felt so let into her life as walking around her much loved #RoyalYacht on her 90th birthday.

The access all areas tour was a special treat that showed her as a mother, very proud of her family. There are pictures all around as well as board games and the history of fun and pranks, yet her office was nearby. The decommissioned yacht was the number one attraction in the city before her sad passing, it is no doubt a lot busier now. From private stories to hers and Prince Philip's bedroom, all are open to the public. The feeling of pride oozes from the friendly staff and I can say, fewer tours have impressed me as much.

Despite all the coverage you have seen, I hope this personal walk-through is a little different. Please consider this visit to the Royal Yacht when in Edinburgh.

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Sisters

The real treat, if sailing from Edinburgh is to book a night and stay in .... her sister ship, which is Edinburghs number one hotel in many lists. Luxury Overnight stay in her sister Yacht FingalA luxury floating hotel permanently berthed on Edinburgh’s vibrant waterfront. A hotel with all the glamour and style of a superyacht but with an old-world elegance that is completely unique.

Royal Yacht Britannia

The Royal Yacht Britannia was decommissioned in 1997 and has become the number one attraction in Edinburgh. It will no doubt be a lot busier now.

The Queen herself launched this John Brown-built ship in April 1953, and it now tells a fabulous story of her working and private life with you standing in it and feeling a part of it. From the private stories to hers and Prince Philip's bedroom, it is all open to the public. The feeling of pride oozes from the friendly staff and I can say, fewer tours have impressed me as much.

Despite all the coverage you have seen, I hope this personal walk-through is a little different. Please consider this visit to the Royal Yacht when in Edinburgh.

It was launched in 1954 and amazingly was the 83rd Royal vessel since the first, a racing cutter in 1660. The then King Charles the second was himself quite a character and is mentioned in our New Gwynne film set in London. In her 43 years afloat the Royal Yacht Britannia sailed more than a million nautical miles around the world.

She is open to visit at the Ocean Terminal in Leith, in Edinburgh.

Now classed as a museum ship, the 5,769 GT, 126meter long yacht was build in just over a year after being ordered in 1952. She could hold 250 people, has three masts: a 133-foot (41 m) foremast, a 139-foot (42 m) mainmast, and a 118-foot (36 m) mizzenmast. The top 20 feet (6.1 m) of the mainmast was hinged to allow the ship to pass under bridges.

Moored next to the Royal Yacht is the 1936 racing yacht Bloodhound, one of the most successful ocean-racing yachts ever built and was the yacht on which the Prince of Wales and the Princess Royal learned to sail.

Why was she decommissioned?

The yacht last underwent a major refit in 1987. A further refit at an estimated cost of some £17 million would be necessary in 1996–97 but would only prolong her life for a further five years. In view of her age, even after the refit she would be difficult to maintain and expensive to run. It has therefore been decided to decommission "Britannia" in 1997. The Government will now consider the question of whether to replace "Britannia".

— Viscount Cranborne, House of Lords Hansard: Written Answers 23 June 1994

Read more and follow us on Doris Visits   https://www.dorisvisits.com/royal-yacht-britannia/ 

 

Doris Vists the Royal Yacht Britannia on the Queens 90th birthday.

Doris Vists the Royal Yacht Britannia on the Queens 90th birthday.

The Shades Of Bad team planned a well tweeted visit to Edinburgh on the 21^st April 2016. It was to shoot a film for the spin off show Doris Visits. Here at the production company we had been contacted by two local lads, Sam and Findlay, who wanted Doris to Visit Edinburgh. They produced a list of top visitor attractions and we noted that cruise ships stopped there so it fitted our remit. We decided to drive given the kit.

What we did not put together until we were in the car travelling and listening to the radio, was the ‘two plus two equals huge prize’ scenario. It was the the 21^st April and it was Queen Elizabeth II’s 90^th birthday and her decommissioned yacht The Royal Yacht Britannia is Edinburgh’s number one attraction. We went straight there before meeting our local team and found bands playing and the whole place felt heavy in music copyright issues. Doris would not be able to commentate in her normal way. However, after the band left we found a wonderful sign that encouraged us to make a complete film on Britannia not just add it as part of a general Edinburgh film.

 

One of the reasons it is the number one attraction in Edinburgh might just be because it totally allows you to support it in social media. Maybe they know that only positive will come of it as they have such a great product. Whether you are a royalist or not, this is history at its best. It is fantastic. The Royal Yacht is detailed right down to the bone china, attaché case and the personal pictures. You see everything from the Queen’s bedroom to the state room, from the officer's quarters to the medical surgery and laundry. It is an incredible visit which was an effort to edit down to under ten minutes. It will take you a couple of hours as there is more to see and much to study. We learnt a lot and were grateful for this unplanned birthday treat. 

I would suggest you get there early, as soon as it opens and before it is busy, or late as we did. Then attempt the rest of Edinburgh as per our other films. Another tip is to take earphones or headphones and ask for an audio guide with a neck strap.

You might just want to use your camera a few times.

Our second prize was finding that Edinburgh was the origin of Harry Potter. None of us were fans of the books or films, so the Potter era had escaped us all apart from my visit to have lunch with a colleague at Leavesden when he was on themovie. And it was just another film set and I have grown up on film sets.

But then,when you think and remember, yes, Edinburgh was where it started. Then, walking the streets it all makes sense. Every building inspires such wizardry. We had even seen a close friend’s production of Potted Potter at the festival more than once and never focussed on it coming from there. We have a separate ‘HarryPotter’s origins film’, which you can get to by clicking here.

The main Edinburgh film covers a good few of the other attractions, Arthurs Seat to the Castle, the Royal Mile to Restaurants and buildings. You need more than a day and good walking shoes. 

The £4 all day bus pass is worth considering too if you wish to get to places in and out of town. 

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