Not far from us is HMY Britannia, aka Royal Yacht Britannia, which was in service from 1953 until 1997. She is now on permanent exhibit at Ocean Terminal in Edinburgh. We walked down to Ocean Terminal to have a look.
They have done a fantastic job with the creation of the exhibit, with a staircase and lift on the wharf allowing easy access to all levels of the ship which is tied up tight alongside. From our perspective, the ship is in perfect condition, showing little signs of rust, and on most woodwork the varnish is shiny. Anyone who has spent time at sea knows how harsh salt water can be, and anything but the most rigorous maintenance will result in corrosion. Not surprisingly, HMY Britannia has been maintained with military precision.
The wheel house is not inside the ship, but is instead a static display on land before boarding.
The ship tour starts up top at the bridge and its deck, which is surprisingly small.
We then move down a level, to where many bedrooms are. We saw Queen Elizabeth’s bedroom, separate from Prince Philip's, each with single bed. No hanky panky on board! The only double bed on the ship was installed specially for the honeymoon of Prince Charles and Lady Diana. All beds were surprisingly small and simple, we expected to see large luxurious beds with fluffy duvets and piles of pillows; but instead we saw narrow, short beds with thin mattresses and sheeted blankets like those you would find in a cheap 70’s motel.
The captain, who is an Admiral, gets a cushy cabin with ensuite and bath and private dining room and galley. Other officers get smaller cabins and share bathrooms with crew.
The tour continues through the officer’s mess which is quite luxurious, including a bar, generous seating, and a formal dining room. All adorned with historic pictures, silverware, and gifts from foreign lands. They have a toy wombat which in years gone by was put on the ceiling fan, and spun until it falls off, just for entertainment. The poor thing is missing an eye!
Further on we saw the various kitchens, and finally the main dining room which is the full width of the ship and just as long. It was also adorned with gifts from countries around the world. The giant carpet can be lifted to show a wooden dance floor. Apparently it takes hours to set the table, measuring the location of every piece of cutlery.
Beyond that are separate offices for Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, and finally the rather large drawing room complete and grand piano.
At this point, we decided to leave, as our pass is valid for one year thanks to Gift Aid. Expect another installment in the future!
Impressive as it was, it would probably not be as luxurious as many superyachts used by the rich & famous. The Queen is perhaps careful with her taxpayer’s money after all? It is amazing it was both commissioned and decommissioned by the same Queen. She really must have been sad to let it go.
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