The Majestic Royal Yacht Britannia
You certainly don’t have to live in the United Kingdom to have heard about the legendary Royal Yacht Britannia. This awesome ship has served as home to The Queen of England and the rest of the Royal Family, as well as to a number of other famous people. This sea-going vessel features a number of creature comforts and luxuries designed to make life at sea as easy as possible. It is also designed to provide the smoothest seafaring ride possible and is equipped with plenty of top-notch equipment.
Today the Royal Yacht Britannia is permanently moored at the historic port of Leith in Edinburgh, Scotland and has been named a five-star Visitor Attraction in Edinburgh. This means she can be reached from London via a one-hour flight, so even if you are not staying in Scotland, you can still visit this stunning vessel. The Royal Yacht Britannia was designed to replace the Victoria and Albert III and plans to build her began during the reign of King George VI. When he passed away in 1952 the building of the ship came under the direction of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip. The couple personally selected the furniture, fabrics, photographs of family members and paintings that were used to decorate and embellish the ship thus giving it a very personal touch and making it a real home away from home. Over the years Queen Elizabeth would prove to make use of the Royal Yacht on many occasions as she toured the world and attended to official business. As such times she was able to enjoy the services of some 300 yachtsmen and staff and the ship proved to be her sanctuary after a hard days work.
The Royal Yacht Britannia was decommissioned in 1997 and no longer sails. This amazing attraction is, however, open to the public throughout the year (except on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day). After receiving a warm welcome at the Britannia’s Visitor Center, which is located at the Ocean Terminal, you are able to discover the history of the ship through the picturesque displays before stepping on board and enjoying a tour of this magnificent vessel. In doing so you can know that you are walking where influential people such as Sir Winston Churchill, Rajiv Gandhi and Nelson Mandela have also set foot. The ship is easily accessible to people with wheelchairs, strollers and guide dogs and the complimentary audio handset is available in a number of languages. A special handset is available for those who are visually impaired while a printed version of the handset is available for those who are audibly impaired. Using the handset, you are able to take yourself on a tour of this magnificent ship, find out about all the most interesting aspects of the ships life during its years as a royal residency. So take a trip to Leith and visit this spectacular ship.
