Britannia Yacht – The Legend That Made Queen Elizabeth Cry

Published in Unique Estates Life Summer 2025

The magnificent Britannia – once Queen Elizabeth’s luxurious floating residence, today a museum and maritime attraction

Since 1997, the Royal Yacht Britannia has no longer served the British royal family. Instead, it has taken on a second life as an exhibition and event venue, hosting gatherings of all kinds. Today, this jewel of the British crown boasts a new exhibition wing, including a visitor center with dedicated space for displays about the yacht’s remarkable history.

Britannia was the private yacht of the royal family from 1963 to 1997. Its biography is filled with countless royal holidays, state tours, and more than one million nautical miles traveled – the equivalent of a circumnavigation of the globe for each of her 44 years at sea. When the Labour government decommissioned the vessel due to its £11 million annual operating costs, Queen Elizabeth II shed tears – a moment that turned into a true media sensation. Since then, the yacht has been a beloved tourist attraction in Edinburgh, Scotland. Recently, scenes filmed aboard for the fifth season of The Crown reminded the world of its golden days.

Britannia was the first royal yacht specifically designed for ocean voyages. Built by John Brown & Co. in Clydebank, Scotland – the same shipyard that produced the legendary ocean liners Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary – the yacht was powered by 12,000 horsepower and could reach a top speed of 22.5 knots (around 25 mph), making it perfect for “ocean diplomacy.” Before Britannia was launched in 1953, the royal family relied on Royal Navy vessels or even passenger liners for overseas tours.

The order for its construction was completed just two days before the death of King George VI, which derailed its original purpose – to ease his illness with sea voyages. He never stepped aboard, but Britannia became a legend before even touching the water, thanks to the ambition to make it the crown’s most dazzling treasure. Two months before her coronation, the future Queen Elizabeth christened the vessel by breaking a bottle of English wine against its hull, as tradition demanded, declaring: “I name this ship Britannia… I wish success to her and to all who sail in her.”

In its early years, Britannia even housed the royal family’s luxury car, a Rolls-Royce Phantom V, kept in a special garage on board so the Queen could drive it wherever she traveled. The yacht was not only a stage for diplomacy but also a sanctuary for family celebrations. At least four royal couples celebrated their honeymoons in its bridal suite – the only room on board with a double bed.

The romantic tradition began in 1960 with Princess Margaret, who spent her Caribbean honeymoon on Britannia. Later, Princess Anne, Prince Charles and Diana, and finally Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, all followed. The crew shielded them so well from the press that the yacht earned the nickname “the ghost ship.”

Beyond its role in diplomacy and romance, Britannia was also a holiday retreat. Each summer, the royal family toured Scotland’s western isles, often stopping at Castle Mey or docking at Aberdeen before heading to their beloved Balmoral estate.

Queen Elizabeth herself oversaw every stage of Britannia’s journey, including its farewell. When the yacht was officially retired in 1997 and permanently moored at Leith, Scotland, every clock on board was stopped at 3:01 – the exact time Her Majesty stepped off for the last time. Since then, while time has symbolically stood still, millions of visitors have climbed the gangway to its main deck. Whether driven by a secret wish to feel royal for a day, or by the thrill of stepping into living history, their presence ensures that aboard Britannia, time never truly stops.