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HMY Britannia: The Royal Life Afloat
HMY Britannia: The Royal Life Afloat
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Fit for a Queen!At 400-plus feet in length, the HMY Britannia sailed with a complement of more than 200 officers, crew, chefs, royal marines, and members of the royal household, all to cater to the royal family and guests who seldom numbered more than a dozen people. No wonder it became unaffordable to operate!
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Ship's HistoryBuilt in 1953, the HMY Britannia spent 44 years traveling the world with the royals as they relaxed and entertained world leaders and other "Who's Whos" of the social scene. The Queen always claimed it was the one place where she could truly relax.
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Royal NewlywedsExhibits speak to the many notables who traveled or were entertained on the Britannia, including, of course, then-Princess Di and Prince Charles.
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An Exterior LookThe audio tour of the HMY Britannia is very well done and is sequenced to describe all aspects of the ship, life aboard it, and interesting side stories. A tower with elevators (from which this photo was taken) provides handicap access to every deck of the ship.
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Seat of HonorThat's the admiral's chair on the bridge. What was perhaps most interesting about the royal yacht is that wandering around it was like entering a time warp. While it served for 44 years and was decommissioned in 1997, everything on board—the furnishings, communications systems, and even the navionics--dated to the early 1950s.
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The Queen's Shipboard OfficeHere, the Queen conducted the country's business while traveling. It's certainly not luxurious by modern standards, and note the telephone system—presumably the same as what she has in Buckingham Palace—which clearly is early 1950s vintage.
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High Times Aboard the BritanniaWhile the furnishings of the yacht are rather dowdy, the royals lived and entertained aboard in style.
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A Royal Dining RoomImagine the world leaders, captains of industry, and celebrities who sat down to dinner in the ship's banquet hall.
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The Royal BargeTo get to shore and around a destination, the yacht had its own very fancy tender, otherwise known as the Royal Barge.
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Riding PrettyAnd, while ashore, the royals also rode in style. The Britannia had a "garage" for the royal family's Rolls Royce.
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Pour Me a Pint!Interestingly, the Britannia museum also gives you plenty of insight into the life of the officers, crew, and the rest of the yacht's staff. This is the non-commissioned officers' tavern, small but cozy, and I'll bet there were some good times spent here.
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Just for FunDocked next to the Britannia is the royal sailing yacht, Bloodhound, which the royals campaigned actively in regattas around Europe.
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Motto for the Royal LifeThis quote captures the essence of the royal experience, whether under sail or aboard the HMY Britannia.
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