royal yacht britannia land rover

The Royal Yacht Britannia Has a Fascinating History—Here's Everything You Should Know

It doesn't get more majestic than Queen Elizabeth II's yacht.

“Britannia is special for a number of reasons,” Prince Phillip once said. “Almost every previous sovereign has been responsible for building a church, a castle, a palace or just a house. The only comparable structure in the present reign is Britannia. As such she is a splendid example of contemporary British design and technology.”

Although she retired from service in 1997, today the Britannia, one of many of the world's grandest yachts , is docked in Edinburgh, where she is open as a visitors’ attraction and host of private events. Below we give you all the Royal Yacht Britannia facts you might want to know, from who owns the yacht now to why she was decommissioned to how fast she is to how to get tickets to visit. Britannia was, after all, the one place the queen said she could “truly relax,” so why not see why for yourself?

Royal Yacht Britania Facts and History

On February 4, 1952, John Brown & Co shipyard in Clydebank, Scotland, received the order from the Admiralty to build a new Royal Yacht to travel the globe and double as a hospital ship in times of war, according to the royal yacht's website . King George VI passed away two days after, sadly, and so on April 16, 1953, the newly crowned Queen Elizabeth II announced the yacht’s new name as the ship was revealed.

"I name this ship Britannia,” she said. “I wish success to her and all who sail in her." Britannia was commissioned into the Royal Navy in January 1954 and by April of that year sailed into her first overseas port: Grand Harbour, Malta.

The queen and The Duke of Edinburgh worked with interior designer Sir Hugh Casson for the ship to serve as both a functional Royal Navy vessel and an elegant royal residence. Queen Elizabeth II selected deep blue for Britannia’s hull, instead of the more traditional black. Its Naval crew included 220 Yachtsmen, 20 officers, and three season officers—plus a Royal Marines Band of 26 men during Royal Tours.

All of them might have had to change uniform up to six times a day, so the laundry service on board worked nonstop. The yacht also engaged in British overseas trade missions known as Sea Days and made an estimated £3 billion for the Exchequer between 1991 and 1995 alone.

The ship’s wheel was taken from King Edward VII’s racing yacht, also named Britannia, according to Boat International , and the 126-meter ship could reach speeds of 22.75 knots, or a seagoing cruising speed of 21 knots, according to Super Yacht Times . Other fun facts: The yacht could produce her own fresh water from sea water, and shouting was forbidden aboard to preserve tranquility, favoring hand signals for Naval orders instead.

Over the next 44 years, the Britannia would sail the equivalent of once around the world for each year, in total visiting 600 ports in 135 countries. Princess Margaret and Anthony Armstrong-Jones were the first of four couples to honeymoon on the ship in 1960, gifting them all privacy to sail to secluded locations. Prince Charles and Princess Diana followed in 1981 on the Mediterranean as well as Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips before them in 1973 in the Caribbean and Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson in 1986 in the Azores.

For family vacations aboard the ship, games, treasure hunts, plays, and picnics were organized, and on warm days the children could play in an inflatable paddling pool on the Verandah Deck.

In the Sun Lounge, the queen especially enjoyed taking breakfast and afternoon tea with views through large picture windows, a space you can see replicated in the TV show The Crown. Although no filming took place on board the Britannia for the show, researchers ensured scenes aboard it were accurate. In the queen’s bedroom, the resemblance is seen down to the decorative wall light fittings and embroidered silk panel above her bed that had been specially commissioned.

In 1997, the ship was decommissioned after the government decided the costs to refit it would be too great. On its final day in her service that followed a farewell tour around the U.K., the queen openly wept as the Band of HM Royal Marines played "Highland Cathedral."

"Looking back over 44 years we can all reflect with pride and gratitude upon this great ship which has served the country, the Royal Navy and my family with such distinction," Queen Elizabeth II said. All clocks on the ship stopped at 15:01, the exact time the Queen disembarked from the yacht for the final time, and they would remain at that time until the present.

How to Tour the Royal Yacht Britania

Today the yacht is owned by Royal Yacht Britannia Trus t, and all revenue it generates goes to the yacht’s maintenance and preservation. Ticketed entry allows you to step into state rooms like the Sun Lounge, the State Dining Room and State Drawing Room, in addition to the working side of the ship in the Crew’s Quarters, Laundry and gleaming Engine Room. Along the way you will see original artifacts from the shop—95 percent of which is on loan from The Royal Collection.

How to Visit the Royal Britania

You can visit the Britannia any day of the year on Edinburgh’s waterfront. Hours vary by season, and you can find them listed and purchase tickets on the yacht’s website . Private tours are also available, and you can visit the Royal Deck Tearoom, where the Royal Family hosted cocktail parties and receptions, for drinks, meals and scones. Additionally, the Britannia hosts special ticketed events for New Year’s and other occasions, and event spaces can be booked as well.

While you are in Edinburgh, you can also stay on the Fingal , a neighboring yacht-turned-floating-hotel, which is a seven-minute walk from the Britannia, and dine at its Lighthouse Restaurant & Bar, which serves breakfast, afternoon tea, dinner, and cocktails.

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The Royal Yacht Britannia: How The Queen created a floating home and theatre of state

• Queen Elizabeth II
• Royal family

The Queen was the best-travelled monarch in British history. John Goodall looks at the story of the Royal Yacht Britannia, now permanently moored in Leith, Edinburgh. Photographs by Paul Highnam.

‘I name this ship Britannia . I wish success to her and to all who sail in her.’

With these words, on April 16, 1953, The Queen released a bottle of ‘Empire wine’ — a post-war economy in place of Champagne — to launch the Royal Yacht Britannia . The name of the ship had been kept secret and, hearing it declared, the assembled crowd gave a huge roar of approval. To the sound of more cheers, and as a band played Rule Britannia , the 4,000-ton hull, No 691, slid slowly down the slipway from the Clydebank shipyard of John Brown & Co, into the river, and was towed by tugs to the fitting-out basin upstream.

From as early as 1939, bids had been invited to construct a new Royal Yacht capable of long-distance travel. War and austerity put paid to the initiative, but a visit by George VI to South Africa in 1947 on board the battleship HMS Vanguard revived it. As The Queen commented at Britannia ’s launch, George VI ‘felt most strongly, as I do, that a yacht was a necessity and not a luxury for the Head of our great British Commonwealth, between whose countries the sea is no barrier, but the natural and indestructible highway’.

Fig 1: The Sun Lounge. The wall-mounted telephone to the right is identical to those installed in Buckingham Palace. The Royal Yacht Britannia. ©Paul Highnam for Country Life

In October 1951, therefore, the Labour Prime Minister Clement Attlee announced the government’s intention to build a yacht capable of conversion into a hospital ship in time of war. A General Election, however, almost immediately passed responsibility for realising the £2.1 million project to a Conservative government under Sir Winston Churchill and the King authorised the commission in writing on February 5, 1952, the day before he died. Britannia claims to be the 83rd Royal Yacht in succession to Mary , which was presented to Charles II by the people of Amsterdam at the Restoration in 1660. The first steam-powered Royal Yacht was launched in 1843.

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Both the Duke of Edinburgh — himself, of course, a naval officer with a technical interest in, and understanding of, ships — and The Queen were closely involved in the design and decoration of Britannia . As the Duke explained in an interview in 1995, she ‘was rather special as far as we were concerned because we were involved from the very beginning in organising the design and furnishing and equipping and hanging the pictures and everything else… All the other places we live in had been built by predecessors’. This close involvement makes the royal apartment within the yacht one of the most coherent surviving expressions of the royal couple’s personal interests and taste.

One outward mark of their involvement in Britannia is the deep blue of the hull ( Fig 2 ) , which is borrowed — together with its enlivening band of gold leaf — from the Dragon Class racing yacht Bluebottle , which was a wedding gift in 1948. The main interiors of the yacht, meanwhile, were created with the assistance of Sir Hugh Casson, who had recently been knighted for his work as director of architecture for the Festival of Britain.

Fig 3: The State Dining Room. Hung on the walls are gifts from around the world. The Royal Yacht Britannia. ©Paul Highnam for Country Life

By Casson’s account — recorded in a series of interviews in early 1990 for the National Life Stories of the British Library Oral History Project — the dockyard had initially turned to the established local firm of McInnes Gardner to furnish the yacht. The Duke of Edinburgh, however, judged its Louis XVII-style proposals as too much in the character of a transatlantic liner. He requested something simpler and asked the furniture designer Gordon Russell for advice. Russell suggested Casson on the strength of his Festival of Britain experience. By happy coincidence, Casson loved liners, having spent part of his childhood in Southampton.

Casson had never properly met his royal clients before this commission and time was of the essence. After a sequence of interviews with the Duke of Edinburgh, the Admiralty and a representative of McInnes Gardner, he quickly produced a series of large watercolour sketches of the main rooms that were posted off to the Royal Family at Balmoral. That done, and in company with John Wright, an architect and furniture designer in his office, he visited the previous Royal Yacht — Victoria and Albert III , built in 1899 and retired in 1937 — to salvage fittings. These included her picture collection, china, silver, linen and glass. Two ornate compasses or binnacles were also rescued, but these, in fact, originally came from a yet earlier vessel, Queen Victoria’s Royal George .

Fig 4: The State Drawing Room, with its regulation electric fire. ©Paul Highnam for Country Life

Soon afterwards, Casson, Wright and a Mr McInnes Gardner of the eponymous Glasgow firm, were summoned to Balmoral, where they arrived one morning at breakfast time. There was an informal meeting soon afterwards, with The Queen sitting by the fire and Princess Anne combing her hair, at which his royal clients professed themselves delighted with the designs. They requested, however, that the watercolours be laid out for further discussion after the immediate business of the morning, a church service.

What discussion the drawings elicited is unclear, but Casson makes it apparent that the Duke of Edinburgh was otherwise a crucial point of connection in the design process and that the choice of fabrics was taken by the royal couple. The next day, Casson was dismissed with an instruction to get on with the work and send samples of materials. He was also given a brace of pheasant bearing a prominent label ‘From The Queen’, which he hung ostentatiously from the luggage rack of his train carriage as he travelled south.

Casson’s stated aim in Britannia was to create a country-house interior in the yacht, although the conscious simplicity perhaps more powerfully evokes the residence of a British colonial governor or High Commissioner. He proposed a single colour carpet throughout, white walls, polished mahogany doors and some gilding of highlights. His accomplished and loosely worked watercolour sketches have the effect of bringing the picture hang and the furniture to the fore, setting chintz patterns and pastel tones against the clean lines and bold details of the architecture. To a striking degree, and despite repair and renovation, the interiors of the yacht still resemble these views.

Fig 5: The grand staircase connecting the royal bedroom suites with the state rooms. The Royal Yacht Britannia. ©Paul Highnam for Country Life

Incorporated within the Upper Deck are the State Drawing Room — the fireplace within it had to be fitted with an electric fire because of naval regulations ( Fig 4 ) — and the State Dining Room ( Fig 3 ) . Between them is an anteroom and the main stair ( Fig 5 ) , as well as sitting rooms for the Duke and The Queen ( Fig 6 ) . The stairwell also incorporates the formal entrance to the yacht, making this the hallway of the royal apartment. On the Shelter Deck above are the private family rooms, including the Duke’s and The Queen’s bedrooms ( Fig 8 ) , each with its own bathroom. There is also the Sun Lounge ( Fig 1 ) , a room with large windows that opens onto the verandah deck towards the stern.

The royal apartment occupies about a third of the yacht and has its own connected cabins, services and galley. All the remainder was organised in the manner of a working Royal Navy vessel. To man the ship was a crew of up to 220 yachtsmen and 21 officers under the command of an admiral or commodore (rather than a captain). The crew was divided into several departments, including a Royal Marine band. There is a bridge, wheelhouse, accommodation, wardroom and messes, a sick-bay and storage. The diesel engines drove two geared steam turbines that gave her a top speed of 22½ knots and a range of about 2,196 miles at 20 knots.

Much about the life of Britannia was unusual. The uniform was distinctive, with such details as a silk bow at the back of the trousers. Gym shoes were worn on deck and, to avoid noise, there was no tannoy system or shouting. Instead telephones and hand signals were used to communicate. Because of its role as a floating palace and the need for impeccable clothes, the laundry was particularly important. In addition to the Royal Barge — the original from Victoria and Albert III was replaced in 1964 by one built by Camper Nicholson — the yacht also had a garage for either a Land Rover or The Queen’s Phantom V Rolls Royce.

Fig 6: The Queen’s Sitting Room, with its desk. The Royal Yacht Britannia. ©Paul Highnam for Country Life

In November 1953, as work to Britannia was still under way, The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh set off on their first and longest Commonwealth tour aboard the passenger liner Gothic . Their new yacht set out to meet them as they returned, carrying the young Prince of Wales and Princess Anne. The family party embarked from Tobruk on May 1, 1954 and returned to Britain, picking up Churchill (and Casson) in the Solent. Having reviewed the fleet, Britannia sailed into the Port of London to public welcome. A painting of the yacht passing beneath Tower Bridge on that occasion was later hung in pride of place over the drawing-room fireplace.

For the next 44 years, Britannia worked busily in the service of Britain and the Commonwealth and played a role in more than 700 royal visits. In the process, she served not only as a means of transport, but as a home and a theatre of state. One of her regular duties was an annual summer cruise taking the Royal Family from the Cowes Regatta off the Isle of Wight to the Western Isles of Scotland. She also acted as a honeymoon retreat for several royal couples. The Queen was seen to relax on board in a way that was impossible elsewhere.

Fig 7: The engine room, with its immaculate machinery. Britannia sailed her millionth mile in February 1994. The Royal Yacht Britannia. ©Paul Highnam for Country Life

In 1994, when on a Caribbean trip, Britannia passed her millionth nautical mile and there was a celebration in the engine room ( Fig 7 ) , where The Queen and the Duke cut a ribbon and a cake. By then, however, she was becoming a dated vessel and, in 1995, a decision was taken by the Conservative Government of John Major that Britannia should not sail beyond 1997. This opened up discussions on the creation of a ‘cost-effective elegant royal yacht’, a project rather awkwardly compressed into the acronym CELERY. The idea of a replacement for Britannia was eventually incorporated into the Conservative manifesto of 1997, but with the Opposition never having been consulted, the provision of a new yacht now became a heated political issue.

Following the Labour general election victory that year, therefore, the idea of replacing Britannia was scrapped. Tony Blair made a visit to the yacht soon afterwards and has been quoted as saying that he regretted the decision as soon as he stepped on board.

Fig 8: The Queen’s Bedroom, with its modest single bed. The embroidered silk panel over the bed was designed by Joan Nicholson. The Royal Yacht Britannia. ©Paul Highnam for Country Life

The fate of Britannia , however, was by now sealed. On June 30, 1997, she performed her final state role, in the handover of Hong Kong to China, carrying the governor out of the harbour. She returned to Britain to be decommissioned at Portsmouth on December 11, 1997. After a gathering of the Royal Family on board, The Queen was piped ashore for the last time at exactly 15:01. The time is still displayed on all the clocks onboard. In a rare display of emotion, she was seen to shed a tear for the ship that had been her creation and home for so long.

In the past, Royal Yachts had either been scuttled or broken up. In the case of Britannia , however, the Government invited bids from UK organisations to present her to the public as a tourist attraction. From the seven bids considered, that of Edinburgh was judged the most successful and, since July 5, 1998, the yacht has been berthed beside Ocean Terminal shopping centre at Leith under the care of the The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust. She has not only proved a popular tourist attraction, but continues to operate as a venue for private hire. On display at Britannia are three royal sailing vessels, The Queen’s ocean-racing yacht Bloodhound , Bluebottle and Coweslip . The trust also owns a former lighthouse supply vessel, Fingal , now converted into Scotland’s only luxury floating hotel.

The political battle over the question of whether Britain should have a Royal Yacht continues into this Platinum Jubilee year. Whatever the outcome, Britannia deserves to be better known as a remarkable surviving example of taste at the start of Britain’s second Elizabethan Age.

For further information and opening hours, visit www.royalyachtbritannia.co.uk

This article was originally published in June 2022.

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The Story Behind the Royal Family's Yacht, Britannia

The ship hosted four royal honeymoons in its 44 years of service.

Often referred to as the last royal yacht, the Britannia was decommissioned in 1997, and despite some efforts , there are no signs of a new one in the near future. Though its seafaring days may be behind it (the ship now serves as a tourist attraction in Edinburgh, Scotland), the Britannia remains an important artifact and a peek behind the curtain of royal life—it even garnered a prominent place in the fifth season of The Crown . Below, a few of its most notable moments throughout history.

It was the first royal yacht designed for ocean travel.

The ship was built by John Brown & Co at the same shipyard in Clydebank, Scotland in the same location the famous ocean liners the Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary were constructed. With 12,000 horsepower, the ship could travel at a maximum 22.5 knots (approximately 25 miles per hour), ideal for ocean-going diplomacy. Prior to its launch in 1953, the royal family used ships from the Royal Navy or even passenger liners for the overseas portions of the royal tour.

In its 44 years of service, the HMY Britannia traveled around 1.1 million miles.

It was commissioned just two days before the death of King George VI.

The King was already in failing health by the time the designs for the HMY Britannia were submitted, and the hope was that traveling might help alleviate some of his symptoms. However, just two days after the John Brown shipyard in Clydebank, Scotland received the order the King passed away on February 6, 1952.

It would take just over a year for the ship to be completed, during which time its name remained a secret—it wasn't announced until the ship's official launch in April of 1953, less than two months before the Queen's coronation . Elizabeth cracked a bottle of English wine (in the post-war era, champagne was considered too extravagant for the launch of a ship) and announced, "I name this ship Britannia … I wish success to her and all who sail in her."

It was created to double as a hospital.

When Britannia was first envisioned, less than a decade after the end of World War II, the designers sought to make it as functional as possible, crafting a space that could be converted from an ocean-going royal residence to a seafaring hospital during any possible future wartime. The main veranda was laid out and re-enforced so that it could support a helicopter landing and the laundry was made much larger than on a standard naval vessel to accommodate the potential patients. Though the ship was never actually put to that purpose, it was pressed into service on a rescue mission to help evacuate European nationals from South Yemen in 1986.

The ship was home to a lot of history.

Long before it became a floating museum, the Britannia had an eye for history. The gold and white binnacle housed on the ship's veranda deck was originally part of the HMY Royal George , a royal yacht that served Queen Victoria . Likewise, some of the bed linens used by Queen Elizabeth aboard the vessel were originally made for Victoria's bed for one of the previous royal yachts.

Britannia's steering wheel was lifted from her namesake, the racing yacht HMY Britannia , built in 1893 for King Edward VII .

It was redesigned to be less opulent.

Despite the sense of luxury that the term "royal yacht" inspires, the Queen and Prince Philip were actually concerned when they began overseeing the project in 1952 that the original interior design plans by the design firm McInnes Gardner & Partners were too lavish for a country still recovering from the war. The interiors were ultimately redesigned by Sir Hugh Casson and received very minimal updates throughout her 44 years of service.

But it still had homey touches—by royal standards.

Suffice to say that even low-key royal living is a fairly high class. In addition to the 56-seat State Dining Room, which hosted luminaries including Winston Churchill, Noel Coward, Nelson Mandela, and multiple US Presidents, the ship also sported a formal staircase where the Queen would greet guests, separate bedrooms and sitting rooms for both Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh, and a phone system designed to match the unique configurations of Buckingham Palace's telephones.

In the early years of the Britannia's life it was also home to the Queen's Rolls-Royce Phantom V which was hoisted and lowered from a special garage compartment at port so that the Queen could drive her own car at each location. The space was ever so slightly too small, forcing the bumpers to be removed in order to get it into the garage without damage and then refitted when the car was removed. Ultimately Elizabeth began using cars provided for her at port instead and the garage was converted into a storage area for beer.

The steering crew couldn't see where they were going.

Life on board the HMY Britannia was far from typical for her crew. To begin with, due to the prestige and pressure of the position, the commanding officer of the royal yacht was always a flag officer, most commonly a Rear Admiral, although the first two to serve were Vice Admirals, and Britannia 's final CO was a Commodore.

While working, the crew reportedly used hand signals to communicate rather than shouting orders, in order to maintain a sense of quiet and calm for the royal residents. It was also the last ship in the royal navy where the crew members slept in hammocks, a practice that they maintained until 1973.

Perhaps the most unusual element of the ship's functioning, though, was the steering. While on most ships, the steering wheel sits on the bridge, overlooking the front of the vessel, Britannia 's was on the deck below, in the wheelhouse, which meant that the yachtsmen who were actually doing the steering couldn't see where they were going. The crew got around this rather surprising pitfall by using voice pipes from the bridge to confer navigational orders.

It was a royal honeymoon essential.

No fewer than four royal couples celebrated their honeymoons in the HMY Britannia 's honeymoon suite (the only room onboard with a double bed.)

Princess Margaret started the tradition in 1960 for her Caribbean honeymoon with Anthony Armstrong-Jones , a quiet, formal affair where dinners were taken in full evening dress every night. Things didn't go quite as smoothly for Princess Anne on her honeymoon with Captain Mark Phillips in 1973—storms and 20-foot waves left the couple stricken with seasickness for the first week of their Caribbean cruise. Prince Charles and Princess Diana famously spent their 1981 honeymoon on a Mediterranean cruise aboard the yacht. The crew managed to duck the press so efficiently they garnered the nickname "the ghost ship." The final royal honeymoon aboard the Britannia was taken by Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson , Duchess of York in 1986 when the couple traveled around the Azores.

And a family vacation spot.

In addition to her diplomatic duties on royal tours and her service as a post-wedding retreat, the Britannia was also a vessel for family vacations. During the summer months, the royal family would often take off on what became known as the Western Isles tour, cruising around the western isles of Scotland. During the trip, the family would play games and have barbecues on the islands. The stairway off of the veranda was sometimes even converted into a waterslide for the younger royals. The tour often included a stop off at the Castle of Mey to visit the Queen Mother, then making berth in Aberdeen so that the Queen could travel to her favorite summer home, Balmoral .

The Queen openly wept when HMY Britannia was decommissioned in 1997.

With so many memories around the yacht, it's not hard to understand why the decommissioning of the Britannia was upsetting for the royal family. Though plans were initially drawn up for a replacement yacht, the government ultimately determined not to fund the effort. After the Queen officially took her leave of it in 1997, the ship was placed in the port of Leith in Scotland where it serves as a floating museum and events venue . All of the clocks on board remain stopped at 3:01, the exact time that Her Majesty disembarked for the last time.

It was used for a reception for Zara Phillips before her wedding.

Though it's no longer used as their private vessel, the Britannia 's connection to the royal family didn't end in 1997. In 2011 on the night before her wedding, the Queen's oldest granddaughter Zara Phillips contracted the ship for a reception. Though her grandmother wasn't in attendance Zara celebrated her upcoming marriage to Mike Tindall onboard along with her mother and her cousins Prince Harry, Prince William and Kate, Princess Eugenie, and Princess Beatrice.

Lauren Hubbard is a freelance writer and Town & Country contributor who covers beauty, shopping, entertainment, travel, home decor, wine, and cocktails.

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Reflections in Leith harbour of the Royal Yacht Britannia.

The grand piano on the Royal Deck of the Royal Yacht Britannia. Rule Britannia music sheets. Quite amusing. Edinburgh, Scotland.

www.royalyachtbritannia.co.uk

View from the Royal Yacht Britannia moored in Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland. Manipulated in Snapseed and Photoshop Express.

Her Majesty's Yacht Britannia is the former royal yacht of the British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, in service from 1954 to 1997. She was the 83rd such vessel since the restoration of King Charles II in 1660. She is the second royal yacht to bear the name, the first being the famous racing cutter built for The Prince of Wales in 1893. She is now a five-star visitor attraction and evening events venue permanently berthed at Ocean Terminal, Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland. In 2014, The Royal Yacht Britannia was named the UK's no. 1 landmark by TripAdvisor. [Wikipedia]

Had a chance to sort some camera photos, so this is the Britannia from a different view point taken with my A580.

I did not go on the tour as I thought it was rather expensive!

On 29 February 1972 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II visited Brunei for the first time.

In the image, Her Majesty's Yacht Britannia, also known as the Royal Yacht Britannia, is beginning her approach to Muara Port.

The First Sea Battalion of the Royal Brunei Malay Regiment, an agglomeration of coastal and river patrol boats, have now joined up in line astern of her for a ceremonial entry to the port. Earlier posts show them chasing her to get into position...

The picture was taken from aboard a helicopter by an RAF pilot relative who had been working on secondment in the country for several years. Scanned from a slide.

Leith , Edinburgh

A floating palace - The Royal Yacht Britannia , in service from 1954 until 1997, traveled to 600 ports in 135 countries - more than one million nautical miles for 968 state visits.

Retired Royal Yacht Britannia, Edinburgh, Scotland.

One of the first Land Rovers ever built, very useful for shore leave...

Spot lights / signal lights on the Royal Yacht Britannia. Edinburgh, Scotland.

The Queen's bedroom aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia moored at Leith Edinburgh Scotland. A very modest affair with a simple single bed. The Duke of Edinburgh's bedroom was next door with an inter-connecting door.

The Royal Yacht Britannia proudly served the British Royal Family for over 44 years. This famous ship was the last of 83 Royal Yachts, a tradition which began hundreds of years before in the 1660s. Britannia travelled over one million nautical miles on 968 state visits. She was a successful ambassador around the world and played a key role in major historic events.

As a floating royal residence, Britannia was famous across the globe for hosting magnificent state receptions and banquets, and guests would experience the same grandeur and sense of occasion as at any of Her Majesty’s Royal palaces. The Royal Apartments were an elegant setting to entertain world leaders such as Sir Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela, Ronald Reagan and Rajiv Gandhi.

www.royalyachtbritannia.co.uk/about/royal-residence/

www.alamy.com/stock-photo-the-queens-bedroom-aboard-the-r...

www.flickr.com/photos/bobbex/22085686652/

Compass on the bridge of the Royal Yacht Britannia. Edinburgh, Scotland.

In the image, Her Majesty's Yacht Britannia, also known as the Royal Yacht Britannia, is gently coming alongside at Muara Port prior to the Queen starting her day of engagements. A reception committee, crowd and line of cars can be seen on the jetty.

The First Sea Battalion of the Royal Brunei Malay Regiment, an agglomeration of coastal and river patrol boats, had followed the Royal Yacht into the harbour. Two can be seen in the lower right of the image and a third in the mid-left (along with a tug dressed overall that had assisted the Royal Yacht in turning through 180˚). Earlier posts show them chasing her to get into position...

In the image, Her Majesty's Yacht Britannia, also known as the Royal Yacht Britannia, is commencing her ceremonial arrival at Muara Port.

The First Sea Battalion of the Royal Brunei Malay Regiment, an agglomeration of coastal and river patrol boats, are in line astern behind the Royal Yacht. (I'm not sure why their lead unit is apparently only joining the column at this point). Earlier posts show them chasing her to get into position...

The State Drawing Room On Royal Yacht Britannia is majestic State Dining Room was where Queen Elizabeth II entertained world leaders, political figures and famous faces. With its white panelled walls adorned with gifts received during state visits.

Her Majesty's Yacht Britannia, also known as the Royal Yacht Britannia, is the former royal yacht of the British monarchy. She was in service from 1954 until 1997. She was the 83rd such vessel since King Charles II acceded to the throne in 1660, and is the second royal yacht to bear the name, the first being the racing cutter built for the Prince of Wales in 1893. During her 43-year career, the yacht travelled more than a million nautical miles around the world to more than 600 ports in 135 countries. Now retired from royal service, Britannia is permanently berthed at Ocean Terminal, Leith in Edinburgh, Scotland, where it is a visitor attraction with over 300,000 visits each year.

Listed as part of the National Historic Fleet, Britannia is a visitor attraction cared for by the Royal Yacht Britannia Trust, a registered charity. There was some controversy over the siting of the ship, with some arguing that she would be better moored on the River Clyde, where she was built, than in Edinburgh, with which the yacht had few links. Her positioning in Leith coincided with a redevelopment of the harbour area and the advent of Scottish devolution.

www.alamy.com/the-state-drawing-room-royal-yacht-britanni...

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en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMY_Britannia

A stiff breeze made it look as though the Royal Yacht Britannia was steaming ahead. (That's if you ignore the mooring ropes).

In the image, Her Majesty's Yacht Britannia, also known as the Royal Yacht Britannia, is being turned by a tug dressed overall before going alongside at Muara Port (the jetty and large warehouse visible beyond her).

The First Sea Battalion of the Royal Brunei Malay Regiment, an agglomeration of coastal and river patrol boats, had followed the Royal Yacht to this point in line astern - one can be seen directly behind the Royal Yacht and four others can be seen closer to the shore behind them. Earlier posts show them chasing her to get into position...

1948 Land Rover Series 1 pick up UUD947 on display for inspection onboard the HMY Britannia exhibit at the Ocean Terminal at Leith near Edinburgh in Scotland (UK).

This example is one of the first Land Rover Series I vehicles built.

Note Liz and Phil on the right ;-)

My Jaguar Land Rover album flic.kr/s/aHsk2SCE1J

Photograph taken by and copyright of my regular photostream contributor David and is posted here with very kind permission.

This follows on from yesterday's image, showing the units of the First Sea Battalion of the Royal Brunei Malay Regiment forming-up on the Royal Yach Britannia on 29 February 1972.

In the image, Her Majesty's Yacht Britannia, also known as the Royal Yacht Britannia, is on her approach to Muara Port. The coastal and river patrol boats are joining up with her for a ceremonial entry to the port. They've left their joining-up quite late... Six boats are visible behind the Royal Yacht - eventually there would be seven, close-up, properly spaced and running much more sedately.

The vessel in the foreground is clearly marked on the stern as AMDB 117 but I've been unable to find out any details about her or any of the other Bruneian vessels. AMDB is an abbreviation of Askar Melayu DiRaja Brunei, which is the Royal Brunei Malay Regiment in Malay.

The image was taken from aboard a helicopter by an RAF pilot relative who had been working on secondment in the country for several years. Scanned from a slide.

A picture of Princess Anne from 1972. Hanging on the wall of the Royal Yacht Britannia. Reflections in the glass. Edinburgh, Scotland.

Built by John Brown's shipyard on the River Clyde, Britannia was HM Queen Elizabeth II's ship from 1954 to 1997. The ship played host to many Heads of State over the years. The Queen is famously reputed to have shed a tear at the ceremony to mark it's decommissioning in 1997.

The ship was taken to Leith Docks in Edinburgh where it is permanently moored as tourist attraction. It is well worth a visit and gives a real insight into the life of Queen Elizabeth II . The ship is tastefully decorated but restrained.

In the image, Her Majesty's Yacht Britannia, also known as the Royal Yacht Britannia, is arriving at Muara Port.

The First Sea Battalion of the Royal Brunei Malay Regiment, an agglomeration of coastal and river patrol boats, make up the 'string of pearls' in line astern behind the Royal Yacht. Earlier posts show them chasing her to get into position...

In the image, Her Majesty's Yacht Britannia, also known as the Royal Yacht Britannia, is gently coming alongside at Muara Port prior to the Queen starting her day of engagements. A reception committee, crowd, line of cars and what appears to be two gangways can be seen on the jetty.

The First Sea Battalion of the Royal Brunei Malay Regiment, an agglomeration of coastal and river patrol boats, had followed the Royal Yacht into the harbour and appear to have dispersed, or at least are off-shot to the right by this point. Earlier posts show them chasing her to get into position...

In the image, Her Majesty's Yacht Britannia, also known as the Royal Yacht Britannia, is beginning her approach to Muara Port. The First Sea Battalion of the Royal Brunei Malay Regiment, an agglomeration of coastal and river patrol boats, are joining up with her for a ceremonial entry to the port. They've left their joining-up quite late...

The vessel in the foreground is clearly marked on the stern as AMDB 116 but I've been unable to find out any details about her or any of the other Bruneian vessels. AMDB is an abbreviation of Askar Melayu DiRaja Brunei, which is the Royal Brunei Malay Regiment in Malay.

Now it's a small harbor on the majestic Firth of Forth in Scotland, clearly in the shadow of Leith's enormous Ocean Terminal. But once Leith was too small for the purposes of James IV, King of Scots. He wanted to lead a crusade against the Ottoman Empire to free the Holy Land into the hands of Christendom. To that end he ordered a new warship so huge that a new harbor had to be built in 1504, a few miles from Leith. This was Newhaven.

Timbers were brought across the Firth from Fife, reputedly deforesting that 'Kingdom' (in the photo you can see Fife on the horizon). In 1511 His Majesty's 'Great Michael' was ready; His Highness launched the largest ship of Christian Europe in the Autumn of that year. At 1000 tons it measured 73 metres in length and 11 across; it could carry some 420 sailors and at least another 1000 soldiers.

But it didn't make it to the Holy Land. The Scots had joined the French king, Louis XII, in an alliance against England. Louis called on James to keep his promise to him and to divert the English by attacking them from the North. The rest is the sad history of the battle of Flodden Field (Northumberland) of 1513. James and many of his nobles were defeated and lost their lives. A Scottish ballad of the time laments that the Flowres of the Forrest are withered away.

Newhaven became a thriving oyster port, but due to overfishing fell into torpor around the end of the nineteenth century, just when the lighthouse was being built.

We'd visited the rollng grounds of te pretty Royal Botanic Garden of Edinburgh and after walking down the hill saw a fabulous airy and bright, decade-old restaurant with this view. Yes, they had oysters, from the long sealoch of Fyne, and they tasted just fine with a dry Muscadet. We raised our glass to Sunny Days and St Michael.

But Leith has become huge (even larger than I remembered it from about 15 years ago), and berthed there is the Royal Yacht Britannia: in length it measures not less than 125 metres. Ah! the advance of techonology! Above all, it's unsuitable for Crusades!

The inner workings of the Royal Yacht Britannia were shown here by this entrance to the fan space.

This flag locker is on the deck of The Royal Yacht Britannia moored in Leith. These are the signal flags used by the Royal Navy, traditionally used as a form of maritime communication to determine the ships state and intentions. They are also used for ceremonial purposes such as dressing the ship.

Thank you for your visit and your comments, they are greatly appreciated.

Taken during the Royal Tour of New Zealand. The Royal Yacht Britannia can be seen, escorted by the HMNZS Canterbury. Hardwicke Knight photographer. From a Kodachrome slide.

Her Majesty's Yacht Britannia, also known as the Royal Yacht Britannia was, for more than 40 years, a floating palace for Her Majesty, Britain's Queen, and members of the royal family. It took her and other royals on many visits all over the world.

In 1981 Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer had their honeymoon onboard.

Also onboard there is the State Dining Room, in which many Kings, Queens, Presidents and other important people have been guests for lavish meals over the years.

The Queen's bedroom, which is furnished as it was whilst in her use, shows simple furniture and a lack of ostentation which may be surprising to some.

Eventually running costs of the ageing vessel led to it's being decommissioned by the government of the day in December 1997. Britannia was then taken to Leith, Edinburgh's port and is now on permanent display there, open to more than 300,000 visitors every year. Visitors can see throughout the vessel, from the bridge to the engine room and can even eat onboard. In addition, the ship can be hired for special evening events.

Further information on this unique vessel is here: www.royalyachtbritannia.co.uk/ and here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMY_Britannia .

Her Majesty's Yacht Britannia, also known as the Royal Yacht Britannia, is the former royal yacht of the British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, in service from 1954 until 1997. She was the 83rd such vessel since King Charles II acceded to the throne in 1660, and is the second royal yacht to bear the name, the first being the racing cutter built for the Prince of Wales in 1893. During her 43-year career, the yacht travelled more than a million nautical miles around the globe.

HMY Britannia was built at the shipyard of John Brown & Co. Ltd in Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire. She was launched by Queen Elizabeth II on 16 April 1953, and commissioned on 11 January 1954. The ship was designed with three masts: a 41m foremast, a 42m mainmast, and a 36m mizzenmast. Above, those masts are carrying the Lord High Admiral's flag, the Royal Standard and the Union Flag, respectively. The top aerial on the foremast and the top 6.1m of the mainmast were hinged to allow the ship to pass under bridges.

Britannia was designed to be converted into a hospital ship in time of war, although this capability was never used. During the Cold War, in the event of nuclear conflict, it was intended for the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh to take refuge aboard Britannia off the north-west coast of Scotland.

The crew of Royal Yachtsmen were volunteers from the general service of the Royal Navy. Officers were appointed for up to two years, while the "yachtsmen" were volunteers and after 365 days' service could be admitted to "The Permanent Royal Yacht Service" as Royal Yachtsmen and served until they chose to leave the Royal Yacht Service or were dismissed for medical or disciplinary reasons. As a result, some served for 20 years or more. The ship also carried a troop of Royal Marines when members of the Royal Family were on board.

Now retired from royal service, Britannia is open to visitors and is permanently berthed at Ocean Terminal, Leith, in Edinburgh, Scotland. Over 300,000 tourists visit the yacht each year.

Britannia is seen above approaching Muara Port in Brunei on 29 February 1972 for what was to be Queen Eizabeth II's first visit to the country. The slide was taken by a relative who had been working in the country for several years.

Detail of an old phone on the Royal Yacht Britannia.

Also onboard there is the State Dining Room, in which many Kings, Queens , Presidents and other important people have been guests for lavish meals over the years.

Captured with the very last rays of the evening sun, this is the Inner Harbour of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada in July of 1971. At anchor are an unprecedented trio of interesting vessels, namely:

- in the foreground the 1966-built Beaver II, an exact replica of the historic 1835-built (in England) S.S. Beaver, a paddlewheeler that was the first steamship to operate in the Pacific NorthWest of North America.

- beyond the Beaver, The Royal Yacht 'Britannia', which had transported Queen Elizabeth II to B.C. in connection with the Centennial of B.C.'s joining the Canadian Confederation. From new in 1953, Clydebank-built H.M.Y. Britannia was the Royal Family's sea-going transport until retired in 1997 to become a museum in Edinburgh.

- in the distance, one of the two Canadian Pacific coastal passenger steamships operating in the waters of this Strait of Georgia and Puget Sound area of the Pacific NorthWest.; It could be the S.S. 'Princess Patricia II' or more likely the S.S. 'Princess Marguerite II' .

Photograph taken by me.

Update : Uploaded much-improved scan on 25 March 2019

Epson V500 scan of colour print.

Her Majesty's Yacht (HMY) Britannia exhibit at the Ocean Terminal at Leith near Edinburgh in Scotland (UK).

HMY Britannia was launched on April 16th 1953 and retired from service on December 11th 1997.

www.flickr.com/photos/stuart166axe/tags/hmybritannia

Came across this ship berthed in Leigh today. It is the Royal Yacht Britannia which ceased service in 1997. It has now become a top tourist attraction in the UK.

Taken on my mobile, for some reason the exif has disappeared!

I enjoy having visitors and showing them around and generally making a fuss.

The downside is that means I will be even more behind with comments than usual.

Yesterday my first guests of the summer arrived, and this morning we toured the Royal Yacht Britannia. This is the view from the kitchen area of the Commanding Officer's suite. Note the little bell on the tray. This was for the Officer, not the kitchen help.

"BRITANNIA was launched from the John Brown & Company shipyard in Clydebank, Scotland, on April 16 1953. For over 44 years the Royal Yacht served the Royal Family, travelling more than a million nautical miles to become one of the most famous ships in the world. To Her Majesty The Queen, BRITANNIA provided the perfect Royal residence for glittering state visits, official receptions, Royal honeymoons and relaxing family holidays. For Great Britain, BRITANNIA was a majestic symbol of the Commonwealth and a proud ambassador generating billions of pounds in trade deals. For the Royal Family and 220 dedicated crew of Royal Yachtsmen, she was home.

Today, Britannia is a five-star visitor attraction and exclusive evening events venue in Edinburgh."

Source: royalyachtbritannia.co.uk/history

Ocean Terminal, Leith, Edinburgh, 12/8/22.

Edinburgh, Scotland

Looking through a porthole on the Royal Yacht Britannia.

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The History Hit Miscellany of Facts, Figures and Fascinating Finds

• 20th Century

10 Facts About Royal Yacht Britannia

Peta Stamper

28 nov 2022.

The 83rd and last in a long line of royal yachts, HMY Britannia has become one of the most famous ships in the world. Now permanently moored at Edinburgh’s Port of Leith, the floating palace is a visitor attraction welcoming some 300,000 people aboard each year.

For Queen Elizabeth II, Britannia was the ideal residence for state visits and peaceful royal family holidays and honeymoons. For the British public, Britannia was a symbol of Commonwealth. For the 220 naval officers who lived aboard Britannia , and the royal family, the 412-foot-long yacht was home.

Having travelled more than a million nautical miles over 44 years of service to the British Crown, Her Majesty’s beloved boat was decommissioned in 1997. Here are 10 facts about life aboard HMY Britannia.

1. Britannia was launched by Queen Elizabeth II on 16 April 1953 using a bottle of wine, not champagne

Champagne is traditionally smashed against a ship’s hull during launching ceremonies. However, in a post-war climate champagne was seen as too frivolous, so a bottle of Empire wine was used instead.

Britannia launched from the John Brown & Company shipyard in Clydebank, Scotland.

2. Britannia was the 83rd Royal Yacht

King George VI , Elizabeth II’s father, had first commissioned the royal yacht that would become Britannia in 1952. The previous official boat had belonged to Queen Victoria and was rarely used. The tradition of royal yachts had been started by Charles II in 1660.

George decided that the Royal Yacht Britannia should both be a regal vessel as well as a functional one.

3. Britannia had two emergency functions

Britannia was designed to be converted into a hospital ship in time of war, although that function was never used. Additionally, as part of the Cold War plan Operation Candid, in the event of nuclear war the ship would become a refuge off the north-west coast of Scotland for the Queen and Prince Philip.

4. Her maiden voyage was from Portsmouth to Grand Harbour in Malta

She carried Prince Charles and Princess Anne to Malta to meet the Queen and Prince Philip at the end of the royal couple’s Commonwealth tour. The Queen stepped aboard Britannia for the first time in Tobruk on 1 May 1954.

Over the next 43 years, Britannia would transport the Queen, members of the Royal Family and various dignitaries on some 696 foreign visits.

The HMY Britannia on a visit by the Queen to Canada in 1964

Image Credit: Royal Canadian Navy, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

5. Britannia hosted some of the 20th century’s most notable figures

In July 1959, Britannia sailed the newly opened Saint Lawrence Seaway to Chicago where she docked, making the Queen the first British monarch to visit the city. US President Dwight Eisenhower hopped aboard Britannia for part of the journey.

In later years, Presidents Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton would also step aboard. Charles and Diana, the Prince and Princess of Wales, took their honeymoon cruise on Britannia in 1981.

6. The crew were volunteers from the Royal Navy

After 365 days’ service, crew members could be admitted to the Permanent Royal Yacht Service as Royal Yachtsmen (‘Yotties’) and serve until they either chose to leave or were dismissed. As a result, some yachtsmen served on  Britannia  for over 20 years.

The crew also included a detachment of Royal Marines, who would dive underneath the ship each day while moored away from home to check for mines or other threats.

7. All royal children were allocated a ‘Sea Daddy’ on board the ship

The ‘sea daddies’ were primarily tasked with looking after the children and keeping them entertained (games, picnics and water fights) during voyages. They also oversaw the children’s chores, including cleaning the life rafts.

8. There was a ‘Jelly Room’ onboard for the royal children

The yacht had a total of three galley kitchens where Buckingham Palace ‘s chefs prepared meals. Among these galleys was a chilled room called the ‘Jelly Room’ for the sole purpose of storing royal children’s jellied desserts.

9. It cost around £11 million every year to run Britannica

The cost of running Britannia was always an issue. In 1994, another expensive refit for the ageing vessel was proposed. Whether or not to refit or commission a new royal yacht entirely came down to the election result of 1997. With repairs at a proposed cost of £17 million, Tony Blair’s new Labour government were unwilling to commit public funds to replace Britannica.

HMY Britannia in 1997, London

Image Credit: Chris Allen, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

10. All the clocks on board remain stopped at 3:01pm

In December 1997,  Britannia was officially decommissioned. The clocks have been kept at 3:01pm – the exact moment the Queen went ashore for the last time following the ship’s decommissioning ceremony, during which the Queen shed a rare public tear.

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The Royal Yacht Britannia

Experience Tripadvisor's Best UK Attraction 2023. Follow in the footsteps of Royalty and explore this floating Royal residence with a fascinating audio tour of five decks (available in over 30 languages).

Tripadvisor's Best UK Visitor Attraction (AGAIN) 2023-2024, Best UK Attraction (Which magazine readers) and Tripadvisor Travellers' Choice Best of the Best award winner 

Visit this award-winning attraction, just two miles from Edinburgh's city centre at Ocean Terminal.  The Royal Yacht Britannia played host to some of the world’s most famous people, from Nelson Mendela to Winston Churchill, but above all was home for the British Royal Family for over 40 years. Now you can discover the heart and soul of this most special of Royal residences.

You'll receive a truly warm welcome at Britannia's Visitor Centre before you board this famous ship where you will discover the history of Royal Yachts and view displays and historical photographs of Britannia's fascinating past before boarding Queen Elizabeth II's former floating palace.

What will you see?

• Tour Britannia’s five decks
• Feel like the captain of the ship in the Bridge
• Follow in the footsteps of Royalty through the State Apartments
• See Queen Elizabeth II's favourite room- the Sun Lounge
• Discover below decks in the Crew’s Quarters
• Admire a tour highlight, the gleaming Engine Room
• Take in the Royal Sailing Exhibition
• Enjoy soups, sandwiches, cakes and scones in the Royal Deck Tearoom and admire the stunning waterfront views.

The tour is available in:

• Audio handset tour, available in over 30 languages
• Children’s audio tour
• Audio tour for those with sight loss
• ASL and BSL tablet
• Braille script ​​​​​​ ​​​​​

Complete the Britannia experience with a visit to the  Gift Shop in Ocean Terminal, where you’ll find exclusive Britannia souvenirs, china, toys, gifts and nautical items.

Berthed just moments away, Britannia's sister ship, floating hotel Fingal, offers 22 luxurious cabins inspired by the former Northern Lighthouse Board tender's rich maritime heritage. For further information, visit Fingal's website .

HELPFUL INFORMATION:

-  All weather experience -  Highly accessible for wheelchair users, single buggies and those with limited mobility. Read our accessibility statement here . -  Free Annual Pass for 12 months admission included -  The entrance to Britannia is temporarily on the Ground Floor of Ocean Terminal shopping centre.

How to get here?

By tram: Take the tram to stop 'Ocean Terminal' (Newhaven direction).

By bus:  Regal Tour Bus and Lothian Buses 10, 16, 34 and 35 run from the city centre towards Ocean Terminal. Regal Tour buses depart regularly from Waterloo Place / St Andrew Square in the centre of Edinburgh. The Majestic Tour is operated by Edinburgh Bus Tours .

By train:  Arrive in the city centre at Edinburgh Waverley Train Station, just 2 miles from Britannia. 

By car: Follow signs to Edinburgh and Leith or North Edinburgh. Then follow brown tourist signs for Britannia. Free car parking at Ocean Terminal (level C is nearest). For satnav our postcode is EH6 6JJ. Go inside the shopping centre for Britannia’s entrance and the start of the tour. By plane: Britannia is approximately 40 minutes’ drive from Edinburgh Airport.

For further information on finding Britannia, please see here .  

OPENING TIMES

Please check the Britannia website for full opening times and prices. EVENING EVENTS Exclusive dinners and receptions can be hosted on board. Call our events team on +44 (0) 131 555 8800 and see how we can create your event of a lifetime, or visit the events section of our website .

PRIVATE TOURS A private tour on board The Royal Yacht Britannia is an exclusive experience, giving you access to Britannia’s five decks, and a unique insight into the history of the Royal Yacht and how the Royal Family and crew lived and worked on board. Both Morning and Evening tours are available. Call our events team on +44 (0) 131 555 8800 or for more information visit click here . PRESERVING BRITANNIA Britannia is cared for by The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust , a self-funding charity registered in Scotland (SC028070). By visiting Britannia you will be helping us to preserve this important piece of history for future generations.

www.royalyachtbritannia.co.uk See our reviews on Tripadvisor Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Pinterest Follow us on Instagram

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Transport and Parking

• On Public Transport Route
• Public Parking Nearby

Accessibility

• Hearing Loop
• Accessible Parking Or Drop-off Point
• Lift or stairlift
• Large print, braille or audio
• Level Access
• Wheelchair access throughout
• Accessible toilets
• Wheelchairs or mobility aids provided
• Suitable for visitors with limited mobility

Dietary Options

• Gluten Free

Typical Prices

• Baby Changing Facilities
• Public Toilet Facilities
• Lunch Available
• Licensed Bar
• Cafe or Restaurant

Payment Methods

• American Express
• Diners Card
• Credit Card
• Coastal Location
• Sea/Loch View

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• Sailing on Royal Racing Yacht Bloodhound

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Inside the Royal Yacht Britannia

We explore how the royal yacht britannia, the royal family’s former yacht, became one of britain’s best-loved attractions….

Words by Kirsten Henton & photos by Euan Myles

This year marks two major milestones for the iconic Royal Yacht Britannia , the Royal Family’s former yacht, aboard which they would cruise the Western Isles of Scotland each summer. Celebrating both 70 years of service and 25 years as a multi-award-winning floating museum and visitor attraction, this regal yacht is more popular than ever.

Since dropping anchor in Edinburgh’s historic port of Leith and opening to the public in 1998, a year after it was decommissioned, Britannia has captivated some six million visitors. It’s a spectacle of refined elegance crammed full of fascinating royal and naval history.

Somewhat randomly, Britannia, and the bold tartan trews worn by the guides, were fixtures in my family for over a decade. Having taken early retirement, my father, Richard Henton, who has a lifelong interest in the Royal Navy, subsequently worked as a guide aboard Britannia from 2003 to 2014.

As he puts it: “The nice thing about working on Britannia was being associated with a truly prestigious icon that was instantly recognised internationally. I also had a certain affection for the Royal Yacht since I remember her launch back in 1953.”

The decades following WWII witnessed great change globally. War-torn countries from Europe to Eastern Asia endured significant financial and social hardships, while colonised countries that had formed the backbone of European empires, many of whose citizens had fought and died in two World Wars, actively sought their independence.

Seismic events such as the Partition of India, unrest in Palestine and Malaya (now Malaysia), and the later Suez Crisis all signalled the complexities of this new order. In addition, the Commonwealth came to prominence. Plus, Britain had a new monarch. Following the death of King George VI on 6 February 1952, 25-year-old Elizabeth was proclaimed queen and a new chapter in British history began.

It was into this changing world that Britannia was launched. In fact, the shipyard received the official order to commence work on the new Royal Yacht from the Admiralty on 4 February 1952, just two days before King George VI died.

THE ROYAL YACHT BRITANNIA: UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Although plans for a new Royal Yacht were temporarily shelved owing to WWII, work began on Britannia in 1952 at the renowned John Brown & Co. Shipyard in Clydebank, where liners including the Lusitania, Queen Mary, and Queen Elizabeth were also constructed. Although officially launched on 16 April 1953, it wasn’t until 11 January 1954 that Britannia was commissioned into active service with the Royal Navy.

The 412-foot-long (126-metre) yacht was one of the last fully-riveted ships to be built. It was seen to have quite the modern form with a crisp clipper bow and a sleek cruiser stern. Meanwhile, down in the engine room, two steam-powered turbines generated 12,000 horsepower and a maximum speed of 22.5 knots (around 25 mph).

Curiously, the ship’s wheel, which was taken from its 1893 namesake, Edward, Prince of Wales’s (later Edward VII) Royal Cutter Britannia, is located in the wheelhouse for security reasons. This meant that yachtsmen at the helm couldn’t actually see where they were going. Instead, they followed instructions via voice pipes from the bridge above.

The ship’s name also remained a mystery to all but a few until its christening. When Queen Elizabeth II smashed a bottle on the bow in April 1953, some 30,000 people, mainly shipbuilders and their families, turned out in the pouring rain to hear her proclaim “I name this ship Britannia” for the first time, although it was never painted onto the hull.

THE ROYAL YACHT BRITANNIA: UNDERSTATED INTERIORS

Stepping aboard Britannia, you might expect some serious luxury. However, as Laura McCall, of the Royal Yacht Britannia reveals, luxury wasn’t the look the Royal Family were going for at all: “The initial designs were considered to be too opulent and, instead, more of a ‘country home’ feel was chosen by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip… it’s elegant yet reflects the post-war austerity in which the ship was built.”

This period also necessitated the ability to convert Britannia into a hospital ship, should it ever be required. Over in the state apartments, it’s a homely affair. What’s more, it remains relatively unchanged, a time capsule of chintzy chairs, surprisingly narrow single beds and considerably ordinary decor.

Of course, the grand state dining room, magnificent staircase, and teak sun lounge with its giant picture windows – said to have been our late Queen’s favourite spot – quickly remind you that it was still a floating palace fit for royalty.

THE ROYAL YAHCT BRITANNIA: LIFE AT SEA

Britannia offered an escape for the Royal Family. It was a private bubble, which Queen Elizabeth II described as “the only place I can truly relax.”

McCall says: “King Charles enjoyed summer holidays on Britannia and in later years, [it] was where His Majesty brought his own sons for family trips to the Western Isles.” It has also hosted four royal honeymoons and, McCall continues, was where “the Royal Family entertained everyone from prime ministers and presidents to the celebrities of the day, including Frank Sinatra.”

For the 220 yachtsmen, known as ‘yotties’, who served aboard Britannia, life was very different to other postings. The rules were unusual, for starters. As Acting Captain J S Dalglish, the officer in charge of commissioning Britannia, later wrote: “Everything in the yacht is done in complete silence. We used no… broadcasting device for getting orders round the vessel, but instead the telephone etc. below decks, and signs and signals above.”

THE ROYAL YACHT BRITANNIA: THE SOFT ART OF DIPLOMACY

It wasn’t all high days and holidays, however. Britannia was a mobile ambassador, a vessel that ferried the next generation of royals looking to represent Britain through diplomacy, trade, even the odd humanitarian mission.

It also played a vital role in connecting Britain with the expanding Commonwealth, formed of mainly ex-British territories all the way from New Zealand to Jamaica. In her Christmas Day broadcast in 1953, Her Majesty The Queen said: “The Commonwealth bears no resemblance to the empires of the past. It is an entirely new conception, built on the highest qualities of the spirit of man: friendship, loyalty and the desire for freedom and peace.”

Britannia was a vital tool the Royal Family used to honour those promises and strengthen ties with nations previously stitched into its empire.

THE ROYAL YACHT BRITANNIA: THE MUSEUM

Today, people visit Britannia from all over the globe. According to my father: “The highlight of being with visitors was their evident interest in all aspects of life on board and observing their reactions to what many considered to be the decidedly non-luxurious aspects of the Royal Family’s  accommodation and the generally cramped nature of the ship’s company.”

He adds: “Those from Commonwealth countries and the USA showed particular interest since they had often seen Britannia when she visited their own countries.”

Planning a visit? My dad’s top tip is not to rush it but to give yourself sufficient time to look around properly – at least an hour and a half. Personally, I can’t recommend a trip to the Royal Deck Tea Room enough. Go for a scone and a glass of something bubbly, stay for the views to Fife and the Antony Gormley statue gazing across the Forth.

Britannia’s arrival in Leith opened a new chapter in the yacht’s story. Now, as Britain welcomes a new monarch, she continues to tell the tale of the royals of the 20th century.

To book your tickets for The Royal Yacht Britannia, go to royalyachtbritannia.co.uk

This is an extract, read the full feature in the July/August 2023 issue of Scotland, available to buy here from 16 June. 

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Published six times a year, every issue of Scotland  showcases its stunning landscapes and natural  beauty, and delves deep into Scottish history. From mysterious clans and famous Scots (both past and present), to the hidden histories of the country’s greatest castles and houses, Scotland ‘s pages brim with the soul and secrets of the country. Scotland magazine captures the spirit of this wild and wonderful nation, explores its history and heritage and recommends great places to visit, so you feel at home here, wherever you are in the world.

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12 July 2024

Photography has always played an important role on   Britannia. While she was in service, there was always a 'Yottie' appointed, nicknamed 'Snaps', to take photographs of life on board the Royal Yacht.

In keeping with this tradition, we now have our own Photographer in Residence, who has been capturing our very own Weekly 'Snaps' - a collection of snapshots of life around the ship today.

Previous Weeks 2024

Previous weeks 2023, previous weeks 2022.

Make countless picture-perfect memories during a tour of The Royal Yacht Britannia.

Visitors can enjoy the waterfront views of the Port of Leith while exploring the five decks.

Shelbi, Housekeeper, polishing the handrails on the Verandah Deck, to gleaming perfection.

Billy, Facilities Officer, ensuring that the deck outside the State Apartments is ship-shape.

Relax awhile in the Royal Deck Tearoom and choose from cakes and sandwiches on our delicious menu.

Hot chocolates are a yummy treat for young visitors to enjoy.

The traditional dish of Cullen skink soup is served up, and ready to be savored.

A Britannia Tearoom favourite, golden cheese scones.

In 2010, we welcomed Prince Philip’s former Royal Racing Yacht Bloodhound, now berthed alongside Britannia.

The Series 1 Land Rover is from 1948 and was one of the first models ever made.

Discover our charming Queen Bee gifts from the Britannia Gift Shop.

Find a delightful selection of toys, games and souvenirs to keep little ones amused during the summer holidays.

Ben preparing for sanding the activity boat.

Sanding a handrail.

Gary making templates for a spare set of handrails for Fingal.

Next, cutting out the templates.

Jos painting a new piece of framework for a whaler.

A close-up.

Fingal's Skerryvore Suite has a private deck, perfect for relaxing and stargazing.

Accessible cabins aboard Fingal feature wider access bathrooms.

The washbasin in the accessible cabin is designed for ease of use.

Find unique details to marvel at in every cabin, inspired by Fingal's travels.

Visiting Britannia

TRIPADVISOR'S NO.1 UK ATTRACTION 2023 - 2024

Click on the Visit page  for more information before you visit.

Step aboard to enjoy a great day out!

Fingal Hotel

Get away from the everyday aboard Britannia’s sister ship, Fingal.  Extend your visit with a stay in one of Fingal’s luxurious cabins, your own oasis by the sea. 

TRIPADVISOR'S NO.1 UK LUXURY HOTEL TRIPADVISOR'S NO.1 UK SMALL & BOUTIQUE HOTEL AA Hotel of the Year Scotland, AA five-star hotel and 2 AA Rosettes

Learn more: fingal.co.uk

BRITAIN : Finances May Sink the Royal Yacht : The Britannia was used just 31 days in 1991 at a cost of $18 million.

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One of the grander jewels in the British crown has been its ship of state, the royal yacht Britannia.

But the aging and increasingly expensive Britannia is in danger of being retired from duty after 40 years of service, a career in which the 5,700-ton, 375-foot vessel showed the British flag around the world.

Just this week, the Ministry of Defense said the Britannia would no longer be expected to serve as a hospital ship in time of national crisis. And the ministry acknowledged that the future of Britannia and its crew of 270 is “under review.”

The Britannia, launched in 1953, was conceived as both a floating palace for the Royal Family and, when needed, a hospital ship; and it was these dual functions that induced the budget-minded Labor Party government of that time to approve its construction.

But during the 1982 war to recapture the Falkland Islands from Argentina, the Britannia was deemed unsuitable, and a cruise liner, the Uganda, was chartered as a hospital ship instead. The royal yacht has never carried wounded troops.

A few weeks ago, Prince Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth II, announced that he would use the Britannia this month on an official visit to the Caribbean with a stopover in Florida--at an estimated cost of $7.5 million for two weeks.

That news provoked charges of royal extravagance from Labor members of Parliament. They pointed out that the Britannia is the most expensive item in the royal travel budget, costing close to $18 million a year for its upkeep. In 1991, they noted, the ship was used by the Royal Family only 31 days.

In contrast, the royal train costs less than $4 million a year, while the heavily used Queen’s Flight of helicopters and passenger jets runs up an annual bill of around $11 million.

Arguing that the ship should be retired as soon as possible, Labor member of Parliament Alan Williams termed it “a geriatric waste of money.”

The Britannia is the second-oldest ship on the Royal Navy’s active list, after Adm. Horatio Nelson’s 18th-Century flagship Victory, now a floating museum at Portsmouth.

When the Britannia was commissioned, the Times of London welcomed it, saying it had been unseemly for the head of the British Empire to charter an ocean liner when the monarch had occasion to go “afloat in state.”

Over the years, about $150 million was spent on various remodelings, the latest only last year. Britannia’s mahogany and brass fittings are relatively modest compared to those aboard tycoons’ yachts, although the vessel has a dining room that can seat 100. In addition, it carries the 41-foot royal barge, two medium-speed motor boats, other fast motor dinghies and two 14-foot sailing dinghies, along with a Range Rover and Rolls-Royce.

The ship can carry a 26-member contingent of the Royal Marines band to serenade foreign dignitaries.

A typical mission for the Britannia is to steam to a foreign port to await the arrival by air of a member of the Royal Family, then to serve as a site for ceremonial dinners and to take short cruises.

The Britannia has also been used occasionally to entertain foreign businessmen on “Sea Days,” short cruises meant to drum up foreign investments and markets for British exports.

The closest the yacht came to acting as a hospital ship was in 1984 when, sailing past South Yemen en route to Australia, its crew picked up refugees after an outbreak of civil strife. During the Persian Gulf War, the Britannia was awaiting a royal visit in South America--too far from the conflict to take part.

In 1661, King Charles II was the first British monarch to have a royal yacht. Elizabeth II may be the last.

As Phillip Hall, author of “Royal Fortune: Tax, Money and the Monarchy,” put it: “The royal yacht is used only as a floating hotel. The hospital ship option has finally run aground. The idea that Britannia is vital to Britain’s export drive is equally hard to keep afloat. No convincing argument for a new yacht may well mean no new yacht.”

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Inside the Spectacular Filming Locations of ‘The Crown,’ Season 5

The series’ production designers share behind-the-scenes secrets about how they brought the past to life.

Beyond beauty for beauty’s sake, this newest installment draws heavy-handed parallels between this grand architecture and the humans that inhabit them, suggesting that time can diminish the relevance of people as well as places. The true alchemists behind the curtain of this period-piece performance, production designer Martin Childs and set decorator Alison Harvey, let us in on how the magic was made.

The Royal Yacht Britannia

Filming Location: The actual yacht and various sound stages Edinburgh

The series opens with a celebratory public unveiling of the HMY Britannia , the 4,000-ton British royal family’s former cruising vessel , which Queen Elizabeth says in a speech that she hopes “like your brand-new queen, will prove to be dependable and constant, capable of weathering any storm.” The ship was decommissioned in 1997 after 44 years of service. Today the royal yacht, which spans 412 feet and can accommodate 250 guests, is permanently moored in Edinburgh as a tourist attraction . Tourist-season logistics aside, how was the large vessel translated to the big screen?

As it turns out, building the magnificent world of the royals from scratch isn’t for the wary. Built on three separate sound stages, the backlot (John Brown’s yard in Clydeside), and a real ship, bringing the Britannia to life in the show was a massive undertaking. “It was our biggest challenge,” Childs says. “You think, It’s only a couple of sails, but in fact, it’s a huge ship.” About 5 percent of the series was filmed on the lowest decks of the real ship. Everything else was all built from the ground up. “Because it was spread over so many sound stages, the trick was finding ways to link all of those things,” Childs adds.

Balmoral Castle

Filming Location: Ardverikie Estate Kinloch Laggan, Inverness-shire in Scotland

Consistent with prior seasons , Ardverikie Estate acts as a stand-in for Balmoral Castle, the Queen’s summer home . We first get a bird’s-eye view of the regal 19th-century Gothic estate as the Queen arrives with her entourage. Bagpipes blare against the backdrop of Loch Laggan in the Scottish Highlands. This château-inspired baronial house with “pepper pot” turrets boasts 38,000 acres of highland wilderness. Inside, we get a glimpse of the castle as the Queen works in the library and later when she converses with the prime minister in the drawing room. Of course, plaid lampshades can be seen, alongside the picturesque equestrian prints. For Harvey, sourcing these rooms presented infinite possibilities. “If you think about how many letters are in an alphabet, and how many words you can make up the alphabet, it’s a similar thing with decoration,” she says. “It’s infinite. You can reimagine just about a million combinations of things.”

Filming Location: Knebworth House Hertfordshire, England

This country house is another Balmoral Castle proxy, its grand hall a fitting look-alike to the original setting for the royal’s famous Ghillies Ball. While the house is located in the civil parish of Knebworth in Hertfordshire about a nine-hour drive away, its Gothic-looking Scottish interiors make it an ideal fill-in for Balmoral. But there’s more than meets the eye if The Crown scenes are all you’ve seen of Knebworth.

Having been the home to the Lytton family for 19 generations and seeing three extensive remodels, Knebworth is a fascinating glimpse into 500 years of British history. Past the house’s romantic exterior turrets, domes, and real-life gargoyles, one will find a Victorian watchman’s tower, a stately armory staircase, and jaw-dropping interiors that are their own rulebook for maximalism. One of the most filmed-in houses of England, its interiors have featured in everything from Batman to Haunted Honeymoon to The King’s Speech . Not to mention a backdrop to the epic Knebworth Festival rock concerts.

Kensington Palace

Filming Location: Elstree Studios Hertfordshire, England

Season five lends itself to a whole new occasion of fodder for set magic: 1990s pop culture. “Diana has been given this apartment in Kensington Palace that isn’t necessarily her own taste,” Childs says. “She’s very much a fan of popular culture, and designing her Kensington Palace apartment was an opportunity for us to make some decorative progress that had not been introduced until that point.” Childs envisioned Diana’s apartment while he was at home during the pandemic lockdown, building tiny sets using only his home printer and tape. “I sent tiny sheets taped together to director Jessica Hobbs, and she would then interpret that over a Zoom call together,” he says. The set was then built at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire, England.

While the other sets in the series boast historic estates that have been backdrop to a range of other films, Diana’s apartment was a unique peek into a never-before-seen space. And herein, the devil (or the princess, rather) was in the details. “The benefit of designing something for the screen rather than for the stage is that when it finally finishes up on the screen, a detail is as big as a wide shot,” Childs says. “So a close-up on the telephone cable that Diana keeps getting caught up in will be on screen as big as Windsor Castle.”

Pulling from a few pictures that had been retrieved from Diana’s secretary after her death, the team used a color palette of yellows, pastels, and terra-cotta. The apartment is filled with details that hint at her state of mind at the time: a pair of glass birds suggest entrapment and the potential for flight; artwork features isolated women that connote a tone of melancholy. VHS tapes and a clunky laptop also offer a sense of the era. “All of it was quite fun to do,” Childs says.

Buckingham Palace

Filming Location: Lancaster House London, England

Buckingham Palace, the Queen’s homebase, is the quintessential visual necessary to showcase the wealth, history, and unique family culture that makes up the interior lives of the British royals. And few get a glimpse into this space—Netflix included. “Buckingham Palace is spread over three sets on various steps and stages, two sets on the backlot, and about 11 different locations,” Childs says. “Part of the trick is in knitting all those rooms together to make them feel as if they’re in [Buckingham Palace] just by juxtaposing with other rooms.” What building could come close to doubling as the one and only Buckingham Palace, you ask? Lancaster House.

A literal stone’s throw from Buckingham on Pall Mall in the heart of the British capital, this lavishly decorated townhouse has been a vital stand-in filming location for the royal’s London home in all The Crown’s seasons (as well as Sherlock Holmes, The King’s Speech, and National Treasure, to name a few). This historic house, built in the 1820s, is one of the last surviving examples of extravagant palaces that were the center of high society in 19th-century London. Similar to Buckingham Palace, the interiors feature a variety of Baroque, rococo, and 19th-century finishes—all distinguished by the famous neoclassical-style columns, geometric features, and uniform patterns.

Windsor Castle

Filming Location : Burghley House Lincolnshire, England

Perhaps the most extreme visual for the series is the haunting image of a disconsolate Queen Elizabeth II , standing in the charred remains of Windsor Castle after what would come to be known as the great fire at Windsor Castle . “It was possibly the biggest metaphor of all,” Childs says. “And it was one that we needed to replicate in some detail.”

Childs and his team had to first determine which room they would burn, ultimately landing on Burghley House’s Great Hall , which is a stand-in for Windsor Castle. You might remember it as the room where the Queen and Philip gave Diana and Charles a telling-off about allowing their marriage to fail. It was also the backdrop when Philip and Charles have their talk about fatherhood after the death of Mountbatten. “There was an awful lot of emotional investment in that room, and it just happened to be about the largest room we've used in Windsor Castle,” Childs says. “We were not just burning something down, we were burning something down that people are familiar with.”

Burghley House is one of the grandest examples of the great Elizabethan “prodigy” houses. Built by William Cecil, Lord Burghley, in the 16th century (and still inhabited by the Cecil family), its Great Hall boasts an ornate Tudor fireplace and double hammer-beam ceiling that was painful to see torched (even if we know the room is just fine). So how was the haunting postblaze scene created for The Crown universe?

Disclaimer: No historic castles were harmed in the making of this series. In fact, the film crew rebuilt the room on a sound stage in a burned-down state. “It had very good architectural detail but wouldn’t have fully burned, so people were able to recognize the bits that we replicated in a blackened state,” Childs says.

Villa Windsor

Filming Location : Halton House Buckinghamshire, England

Villa Windsor makes its grand entrance through a more unconventional side plot: Egyptian businessman Mohamed Al-Fayed, who upon meeting Sydney Johnson (the former butler to the Duke and Duchess of Windsor) learns about the house of the then newly deceased duchess. “It was such a beautiful house,” Johnson says. “But after the duke died, it was neglected. And in the end, like the duchess herself, fell into ruin.” Al-Fayed sets his mind to restoring the villa, noting that, “no matter the cost, it will be my gift to the British royal family.” Insert a series of renovation scenes that has us begging for architectural particulars.

While the interior of Villa Windsor was filmed in West Wycombe Park in Buckinghamshire, the exterior is the exquisite Halton House (also in Buckinghamshire). Originally belonging to the Archbishop of Canterbury in the late 19th century, the Halton estate ended up in the hands of Alfred de Rothschild, who commissioned the build to be loosely based on a French château—thus its resemblance to the Villa Windsor in Paris. “Its symmetry lent itself perfectly to reproducing the restoration process,” Childs says. “Once the elements are all restored, so is the symmetry.”

The team had an extra bit of fun visualizing the comparison made between the Duchess of Windsor and her house. “In those final shots of the duchess, [costume designer] Amy Roberts came up with a silk fabric that matched the walls,” Childs says. “She was able to very literally become part of the architecture and get absorbed by the building in the throes of debt.” More broadly speaking, Harvey said Villa Windsor was a fitting metaphor for the fracturing that was occurring within the royal family. “Through this renovation scene, we were able to create a very palpable contrast between new money and old money.”

Fun fact: To confuse you further, Halton House’s interiors were used for the Ritz launch party in Episode 3. “Such is the nature of filmmaking,” Childs jokes. “What you see on the outside doesn’t necessarily contain what you see on the inside!”

The Ritz, Paris

Filming Location: Waddesdon Manor Buckinghamshire, England

The magnificent French Renaissance-style château that poses as the sumptuous Parisienne Ritz hotel is located in England, surprisingly, at Waddesdon Manor. The Ritz graces the third episode of the series, after Al-Fayed has purchased the failing hotel for $30 million, restoring another historic building to its original splendor with another $250 million. The lavish exterior (the actual Ritz) is just the tip of the iceberg, cutting to a series of opulent interiors that transport you straight to upper-class Paris.

The fabled history of Waddesdon Manor goes back to 1874, when Ferdinand de Rothschild purchased “a lovely tract of land” in the Vale of Aylesbury, where he wanted to build his own French-style country house. Inspired by the châteaux of the Valois, Ferdinand employed Gabriel-Hippolyte Destailleur to begin what would take nearly seven years to complete. The manor’s luxurious interiors are a fitting Ritz, built in a similar Neo-Renaissance style that is a treasure trove of grand art...with a price tag to match, we’re guessing.

Dodi’s Paradise Cove Home

Filming Location: Dodi’s Paradise Cove Home Malibu, California

“I think I’ve found it,” Dodi Al Fayed tells his father, Mohamed, on the phone. “The perfect house…I have to put a deposit down today, or I lose it to Michael Douglas.” He’s talking about the 7,500-square-foot Malibu, California–based palatial villa (the work of architect Don Wilson) that was beyond the reach of all but the richest of oligarchs—and even more so today. While the series gives us just a peek into the house’s (village, rather) lavish interiors (did we spot a five-person jet tub against limestone walls?), it’s clear that as we learn more about Diana’s potential love interest (and potential dwelling, as the tabloids purport ), this dream beach pad may show up in future seasons.

Rachel Silva, the Assistant Digital Editor at ELLE DECOR, covers design, architecture, trends, and anything to do with haute couture. She has previously written for Time, The Wall Street Journal, and Citywire.

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The Crown Season 5 Filming Locations: In Detail

The Crown Season 5 filming locations include Ardverikie, Lancaster House, the Royal Yacht Britannia, Chatham Historic Dockyard, Wellington College, Cobham Hall School, Winchester College, Burghley House, Brompton Cemetery, Greenwich ORNC, Lincoln’s Inn and the London Coliseum. Further scenes were filmed on the Netflix show’s extensive sets around Elstree Studios.

As the Netflix drama moves into the 1990s, it revisits some of the established locations for the royal palaces, and adds new settings. We’re also in for a change of cast, led by Imelda Staunton as the Queen, with Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip and Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret.

Marcia Warren steps in the Queen Mother, while Timothy Dalton plays Peter Townsend for a brief reunion. Dominic West takes over as Prince Charles, with Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana and Olivia Williams as Camilla Parker Bowles.

New figures for The Crown Season 5 include Mohamed Al-Fayed (Salim Daw) and his son Dodi (Khalid Abdalla), Penny Knatchbull (Natascha McElhone) and John Major (Jonny Lee Miller). Flashbacks also give us glimpses of earlier cast members and filming locations.

Where Was The Crown Season 5 Filmed?

The Crown Season 5 was filmed in Chatham, Greenwich, the Moray Firth, Ardverikie, Knebworth, Wellington College, Brompton Cemetery, Somerley House, Eastbourne Pier, Winchester College, Wrotham Park, Lancaster House, Lincoln’s Inn, and more stunning locations.

However, with the show growing bigger each season, the number of sets at Elstree has also grown. The Britannia, royal residences and Downing Street are among the custom-built backdrops.

The Crown Series 5 Filming Locations

John brown and company shipyard.

We see the ship in two eras. After Claire Foy’s Elizabeth has launched the ship, we see Imelda Staunton’s Queen at Chatham Historic Dockyard as she boards the Britannia to sail to Balmoral.

And here’s where to watch the real Britannia launch! It’s right here on the BBC Scotland News Facebook page .

Royal Yacht Britannia

The Crown Season 5 Britannia scenes were filmed on the real Royal Yacht and a replica built at Elstree Studios . The recreated top deck of the Royal Yacht’s appears in the dinner scene at the start of Episode 5. Other parts of the ship were duplicated elsewhere at the Netflix show’s Elstree base.

In an interview with Elle Décor , production designer Martin Childs confirmed the filming locations for the Britannia in Season 5 of The Crown. And it’s confirmed that the lower decks were used. We think these are the engine room scenes, which show off the machinery visible from above on the tour.

You can visit the real Royal Yacht Britannia in Leith, to the north of Edinburgh. Visitors can see the real engine rooms, Prince Philip’s art supplies, family lounges and bedrooms on the now-decommissioned Britannia. There’s also a permanent Royal Deck Tea Room , if you want to dine like the royal family in the scenes from The Crown Season 5.

Balmoral Castle

Interior shots for the Balmoral scenes have been filmed at Knebworth throughout the Netflix show’s run. Knebworth House confirmed that it’s a filming location for The Crown Season 5, sharing the news online the day before its release .

Knebworth’s dramatic architecture makes it a popular filming location, and The Crown’s substitute for Balmoral’s Scottish Baronial style. You can visit this location easily – check for opening days and special events! https://www.knebworthhouse.com/

The exterior belongs to Ardverikie in Newtonmore - also known as Glenbogle from Monarch of the Glen. And the surrounding land appears in the show as well.

Balmoral Estate

Balmoral scenes for The Crown Season 5 were filmed around Kinloch Laggan and Lossiemouth. Kinloch Laggan is where Ardverikie is situated, and this is a real Highland location. Like the real Balmoral Estate, it’s in the Cairngorms National Park . This year, other locations add to the landscape for loch scenes.

The Crown’s loch scenes were filmed around the Moray Firth near Lossiemouth and the Covesea Lighthouse. The Strathspey and Badenoch Herald caught Imelda Staunton and Lesley Manville in costume for the scenes.

In the Season 1 Episode 1 loch scenes, Princess Margaret and the Queen spend time together in a boat on the loch.

Range Rover Scenes

Prince Philip’s driving scenes were filmed in Hertfortshire. Back in October 2021, Jonathan Pryce was spotted filming the Range Rover driving scenes - part of Prince Philip’s life outside the palace. In Season 5, we see the Duke of Edinburgh following his love of driving and of carriage racing.

Lowther Horse Show

According to the Stamford Mercury , the Lowther Horse Show scenes were filmed at Burghley’s grounds.

As the series goes on Prince Philip and Penny Knatchbull's friendship attracts controversy – until Prince Philip asks the Queen to give her approval. While the Netflix series raises questions about the relationship, there’s no doubt that Prince Philip was devoted to carriage racing.

The Duke of Edinburgh competed in the sport, notably the Royal Windsor Horse Show, until the early 2000s. As described in the episode, he sought it out as an alternative to polo .

Kensington Palace

Wellington College has been used as Kensington Palace in The Crown from Season 3 onwards. It appears again in Episode 4, “Annus Horribilis”, and other scenes involving Princess Diana. The Princess of Wales famously lived in one of the palace’s apartments after her split from Prince Charles.

London Streets

Lincoln’s Inn Fields appear in The Crown’s London street scenes as Princess Diana agrees to be interviewed for Andrew Morton’s book. The gateway is visible, along with the surrounding terraces.

Buckingham Palace

Wrotham Park has been used as the Queen’s audience room since The Crown Season 1. Over the years, The Crown has filmed Buckingham Palace scenes at Wilton House, Goldsmiths Hall and Greenwich Old Royal Naval College.

The palace’s portico scenes used to be filmed in Greenwich, but have been switched for a replica in Elstree Studios. Other palace interiors are filmed on custom sets at Elstree too.

The Ritz Paris

The Crown’s Ritz hotel filming location is Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire. The Rothschild mansion appears in Season 5 Episode 3 “Mou Mou”. Look out for the dining room’s mantelpiece and mirrors. This room is seen in the meeting to buy the Ritz, and later when Mohamed Al-Fayed speaks with Sydney Johnson, personal valet to the Duke of Windsor.

Of course, the real Ritz Paris has taken on a different role in the story of the Royal Family, Princess Diana, and the Al-Fayeds. But in Season 5 Episode 3, we’re focusing on the Al-Fayed patriarch’s story and love of prestigious settings.

Bois du Boulogne/Villa Windsor

The Crown’s Bois du Boulogne locations are Halton House and West Wycombe Park. Halton House appeared as the former Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson’s French retreat in the Netflix show’s earlier seasons. It makes a return in Season 5 Episode 3. Look out for the exterior as the former king trains his valet.

Halton recently appeared in Enola Holmes 2 as the Lyon family home – one of many screen moments. It was built for the Rothschilds, who still own the nearby Waddesdon Manor, and as a result they share some architectural links.

West Wycombe Park is another original Bois du Boulogne filming location from The Crown Season 1 that appears in Season 5 Episode 3. Look out for it in the interior shots as Mohamed Al-Fayed and Sydney Johnson inspect Wallis Simpson’s house after her death. Halton House’s entrance and West Wycombe Park’s as the Queen’s representative removes Edward VIII’s abdication desk and letters.

As shown in the Netflix series, Sydney Johnson worked at the house in its heyday and during its renovation. The real valet to the former Edward VIII said, of the Villa Windsor’s restoration:

“I feel on top of the world… the restoration is so authentic I expect to see the duchess stepping down the staircase asking, ‘How do I look?’” Sydney Johnson, Valet to the Duke of Windsor and Mohamed Al-Fayed

If you want to see the real Duke and Duchess of Windsor’s décor, Architectural Digest has captured it in amazing detail . Everything from the clocks to the North Persian carpets is recorded.

Look out for Harrods in the shots of Mohamed Al-Fayed looking over his newest purchase. This looks very much like the real Harrods department store in Kensington, complete with its illuminations.

The real Harrods is a fixture of Knightsbridge to this day. But the prestigious shopping destination’s relationship with the Royal Family has changed over the years.

In 2000, Prince Philip withdrew his royal warrant. The store had held royal warrants since the 1950s. But after the Duke of Edinburgh declined to renew, Mohamed Al-Fayed spoke out to say he wouldn’t seek to renew the Queen or Prince of Wales’ warrants. Harrods then-owner elaborated:

“We are proud of the Harrods reputation as the world’s finest store and we naturally welcome discerning shoppers from all over the world… The royal family, with the exception of Prince Philip, are welcome to shop at Harrods at any time.” Mohamed Al-Fayed

Sydney Johnson’s Grave

The Crown cemetery location for Sydney Johnson’s grave is Brompton Cemetery in London. In The Crown, we see Mohamed Al-Fayed paying his respects over the gravestone. The engraving reads Sydney Johnson, Valet to the King.

Brompton Cemetery opened in 1840, and is still a working cemetery to this day. But it’s also a Grade I-listed on the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens and a precious green space. You can find guides to the well-known figures who are buried there, and popular walking routes, on the Royal Parks website.

Moscow Streets

The Netflix show’s Moscow scenes were filmed in Bradford. In The Crown Season 5, the Queen’s car is seen driving through the streets of the Russian capital, actually Bradford’s Forster Square area.

The Telegraph and Argus caught filming in progress , with Russian signage appearing on Holdsworth Street, Canal Road and Valley Road.

Windsor Castle

Look out for Burghley Castle as The Crown’s Windsor Castle location in Season 5. The famous Windsor Castle fire scenes were filmed at Burghley, and smoke billowing over its roof . A replica of one of its rooms was also used as a fire-damaged Windsor in scenes of the Queen and Prince Philip surveying the damage.

Burghley also provides St George’s Hall in Windsor Castle after the repairs. It appears in the scenes of Prince William and the Queen having tea at Windsor during his time at Eton. Look out for it again when the Queen and Director General of the BBC have a tough conversation after Martin Bashir’s interview is screened.

You can visit this Crown location – check the opening dates for the house, grounds and restaurant.

Guildhall Jubilee Lunch

Look out for the exterior of the ORNC buildings at the opening of the episode, as the Queen exits the car. She is seen walking into the Painted Hall, climbing the steps to its distinctive black and white floor.

The artwork has a royal theme of its own. Among the scenes depicted around the Painted Hall, you’ll find the accessions of William and Mary, and George I. And you can indeed find the paintings for yourself, because it’s open to the public – check the website for current admission details .

The Queen really did make her famed “annus horribilis” comment during the Guildhall Jubilee Lunch . In reality, the Ruby Jubilee banquet on 24th November 1992 took place just days after the fire at Windsor Castle.

The real Guildhall , with its 600-year-old Great Hall, is the home of the Corporation of the City of London, who hosted the event. While it didn’t appear in this episode of The Crown, it is a popular filming location in its own right.

The Eton town and school locations in The Crown are Winchester College in Hampshire and the Cobham Hall School in Kent. Prince William’s car passes the entrance to the Winchester College in Season 5 Episode 7, “No Woman’s Land”, before the press call.

Winchester was founded in 1382, pipping Eton to the post by about 60 years. Princes William and Harry’s former school was founded in 1440, on the banks of the Thames. As seen in The Crown when the Queen considers inviting William for tea, Eton sits just on the edge of Windsor.

Eton College

Kent’s Cobham Hall School appears in glimpses of Eton’s courtyard and interior shots. Look out for the Gravesend school in the press call and William’s lesson on Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot.

It was confirmed as a filming location by Visit Kent , along with other local spots appearing in the likes of Enola Holmes 2 . While Eton is an all-boys school and Winchester has only recently become co-educational, Cobham Hall is an all-girls day and boarding school.

It was founded by socialite Bhicoo Batlivala , who had attended another prestigious school, Cheltenham Ladies’ College. But the building itself boasts its own royal connections. Cobham Hall has been home to the Barons of Cobham, Earls of Lennox and Earls of Darnley. Over the centuries, the residents have hosted royalty of their era, from Elizabeth I to the Duke of Windsor.

Broadcasting House

It looks like a real glimpse of Langham Place in Season 5 Episode 8, “Gunpowder”, with CGI assistance bringing the BBC’s Broadcasting House back to the 1990s. Built in 1932 , the Broadcasting House building was later updated with the glass-lined piazza space that occasionally appears in BBC features.

Eastbourne Pier

The Crown Season 5 Episode 8 features shots of Eastbourne’s pier and seafront . Look out for several angles in quick succession at the start of the sequence before the Bashir footage is reviewed.

Eastbourne’s shingle beach is another location seen in the episode, as the race to halt or allow the broadcast begins.

The Queens Hotel

Royal Variety Performance

The Royal Variety Performance scene was filmed at the London Coliseum on St Martin’s Lane in London . The London Coliseum’s exterior is seen as the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh arrive for the Royal Variety Performance on their wedding anniversary. The real auditorium appears as well, with shots from various angles throughout the second half of the episode.

As a side note, while the London Coliseum has hosted the event, it wasn’t the venue that year. On 19th November 1995, the day before Princess Diana’s interview with Martin Bashir aired, the Royal Variety Performance was held at the London Dominion.

The Queen and Prince Philip would have watched acts including Cirque du Soleil, Allan Stewart, Des O’Connor, Riverdance and Elaine Paige. Thanks to the Royal Variety Charity’s archive, you can check out the line-up right here .

Prince Charles’ Hong Kong scenes were filmed in London’s West End . The area already has a strong connection to China and Hong Kong, through local expat communities and Chinatown’s restaurants and importers.

Journals and essays written by King Charles III were shared with the press after he took the final trip in the Royal Yacht Britannia. In the texts , he wrote about his thoughts on the journey itself and the Hong Kong handover.

The Theatre

While the Princess of Wales’ fashion choices influenced the costumes shown in The Crown, they don’t appear at the same events. As Yahoo Life UK point out, the blue dress Diana is seen wearing to Swan Lake harks back to a Jaques Azagury dress she wore to an event at the Serpentine Gallery in 1995.

The Crown’s Highgrove location is the Somerley Estate in Dorset. Somerley appeared in Season 4 as Highgrove, and is also set to reappear in Season 6. Filming took place in October 2022 , before Season 5 had arrived on Netflix.

While Somerley isn’t open to the public, you can stay at this Crown location. There are holiday lets on the estate – or you can host a wedding or special event at the house. https://somerley.com/ That said, you can visit the real Highgrove gardens . In fact, King Charles III’s private residence in Gloucestershire has hosted garden tours for 25 years.

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