Why BRITANNIA no Longer Rules the Waves. The Story of the Replacement Royal Yacht.
The Royal Yacht BRITANNIA remains one of the most timeless and beautiful vessels ever built in the United Kingdom. Designed in the early 1950s to replace the previous Royal Yacht ‘VICTORIA & ALBERT’, she served for over 40 years as a very visible symbol of the British Monarchy and State. Cruising the world, she was present at fleet reviews, independence parades, state visits and even participated in an evacuation. As a floating palace, embassy for the United Kingdom and location for diplomatic talks and trade deals, BRITANNIA was the embodiment of the phrase ‘Soft Power’. Yet she was also to be the last of 83 Royal Yachts and was paid off without replacement in 1997. This blog article explores the near decade long sage of the decision not to replace her, and for the first time ever, brings together the full story of the Royal Yacht replacement that was not to be. Commissioned in 1954, the BRITANNIA was designed in an era when long haul travel was mostly carried out by ship. Travel ...