My trip to Edinburgh was always going to include a visit to the Royal Yacht Britannia.
I knew it was moored in Leith and I knew a full tour was available.
I certainly was not disappointed in that as you will see in this series of videos.
However I was little taken aback to find she was moored at a shopping centre.
To be fair the shopping centre was built around the Royal yacht as part of the attraction
and certainly didn’t distract from the experience.
However it was a little odd to pass Marks and Spencer and Carphone warehouse on the
way to see the Queen’s bedroom.
To start the tour, you take the escalator ( lifts are available.
The Royal yacht has very good disabled access ) and there are an abundance of restaurants
and food outlets in the centre.
Though as I had set my stall out for Afternoon tea on the Britannia’s deck I skipped pass
all of them.
Continuing to the 3rd floor and playing a game of follow the signs.
You reach the entrance to the Royal Yacht Britannia.
The first part of the tour and of these videos is the small museum covering the history and
life on board of the yacht.
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As I said earlier.
This is a great tour and you do get to see almost everything and also experience an awful
lot.
The tour itself is self guided with an audio commentary which I will do my best to replicate
in these videos.
The audio tour of the Royal Yacht is now translated into over 30 languages and believe it or not
so are these videos !!! Well the subtitles are.
Click on subtitles in settings to choose your language.
The tour and these videos cover the Royal Yacht from the Bridge to the engine room,
taking in the Queens private apartments and the state rooms right down to the engine room.
So step onboard and welcome to the Royal Yacht Britannia.
A total of 44 years in service sailing the equivalent of 44 times around the world.
The Royal yacht Britannia, the most famous ship in the world.
Although Britannia is the last Royal yacht she was certainly not the first.
Stretching back to 1660 when King Charles 2nd Launched The Mary.
The first steam ship was the Victoria & Albert in 1843.
You can see a picture here of Victoria and Albert 2.
The second to hold the name Victoria and Albert.
In fact Victoria had 3 Royal Yachts to bear her name.
Charles the 2nd had a total of 25 Royal yachts !! Which does make it a shame that our longest
serving Monarch Queen Elizabeth the 2nd had only 1.
Built at the John Browns Shipyard Clydebank, just over 50 miles from her current mooring
at Leith.
Up until precisely 2.30 pm on the 16th of April 1953 she was simply known as ship 691.
But when a bottle of Empire Wine, none of that pretentious French fizzy stuff for a
ship built in Glasgow.
The Queen pronounced she would be called Britannia and three guesses which tune the band started
playing !!!!!!
A Floating Palace and a full Royal residence at sea.
The Britannia was actually designed to be a country house at sea, with simplicity and
light throughout.
Often described as the only place the Queen could truly relax.
No matter where the royal yacht was in the world however exotic or remote, stepping onto
the deck of the Britannia was always a homecoming for the Queen.
The royal apartments were furnished to the Queen’s tastes and each room was filled
with photographs of her children and family heirlooms and personal possessions.
However the yacht was still an official Royal residence and the Queen’s government business
took place onboard as if in any other Royal palace.
This is the Wheelhouse from the Royal Yacht Britannia.
It was originally situated on the deck below from the bridge.
The ships wheel came from the racing yacht Britannia built in 1893 for the then Prince
of Wales later King Edward the seventh.
Now the super yachts of Abramovich might be flash with helicopters and submarines but
they don’t come complete with a band from the royal marines.
And the band were not alone the full ships compliment could be as many as 300 with a
Commodore or Admiral in charge commanding 20 officers and 220 yachtsmen.
As an ambassador for Great Britain Britannia played a major role in stimulating trade and
promoting good relations around the world.
During the 44 years in service, Britannia travelled over 1 million miles, 696 Royal
overseas visits calling in at 135 countries.
Now with a final nod to the Admiral lets step onboard.
As we walk towards the Britannia we firstly can see how in-depth the tour is and what
we get to see from the Officers wardroom to the sick bay and operating theatre.
And finally the yacht itself in her new home of Leith Edinburgh so lets step onboard and
begin the tour proper.