Who Decommissioned The Royal Yacht Britannia?

In 1994, the John Majors Government announced that the Royal Yacht Britannia would not be refitted due to the high costs. The yacht had been in service for 44 years and traveled over 1 million miles around the globe. Despite the monarch’s love for the yacht, it was decommissioned in 1997 after Tony Blair was voted into power.

Boris Johnson imagined a new Royal Yacht to replace Britannia, which was the last Royal Yacht. The yacht was launched from John Brown Co. Ltd, the shipyard that built the Queen Elizabeth II. Britannia was the first Royal Yacht to be built with complete ocean-going capacity and designed as a Royal residence to entertain guests around the world. When she was decommissioned in 1997, it marked the end of a long tradition of British Royal Yachts, dating back to 1660 and the reign of Charles II.

During a bleak financial time in the run-up to a general election, the John Majors Conservative government announced the decision to decommission HMY Britannia. Although the Queen fully understood, she was ultimately heartbroken. The Royal Yacht was anchored abroad.

The decision to decommission Britannia was taken in 1994 by the John Majors Conservative government, as the ship was then 40 years old and would have needed a further refit in 1996-2007 at a cost of £17 million, which would only have extended its life by another 5 years. The yacht was decommissioned at a ceremony in Portsmouth, England on December 11, 1997, with the monarch seen wiping away a tear.

The yacht, now docked in Leith, Scotland, is open to the public as a museum and events space. The Crown is known for taking much of its plot material from real-life events, but in the case of the Royal Yacht Britannia, the conservative British government led by then Prime Minister Major decided to decommission the yacht due to the massive cost incurred in maintaining it.

Can Britannia sail again?

The line recently announced that its travel agent ship visits schedule will include three chances to visit Britannia.

The changes to the ship, completed earlier this month, come ahead of its 10th anniversary celebration cruise on June 6, 2025.

The refurbishment includes public spaces, suites and cabins; extension of the loyalty and cruise sales area; enhancements to the Market Cafe; and a “significant investment” in crew areas.

The children’s splash area has been upgraded with interactive water features.

Can the Royal Yacht Britannia still sail?

Now retired from Royal Service, Britannia is permanently docked at Ocean Terminal, Leith in Edinburgh, Scotland. The Britannia is no longer in service to the Royal Family. It was decommissioned in 1997, after it was decided that the yacht was simply too expensive to maintain and run.

Why was the Britannia yacht decommissioned?

It was John Major’s conservative government that first suggested scrapping the Britannia. In the run up to the 1997 election it became their re-election policy to decommission her due to high running costs (she was the only steam powered RN vessel) and the cost of a much needed refit proposed for later that year.

Who got rid of the royal yacht Britannia?

In 1994, the Conservative government announced the yacht’s retirement:

The yacht last underwent a major refit in 1987. A further refit at an estimated cost of some £17 million would be necessary in 1996–97 but would only prolong her life for a further five years. In view of her age, even after the refit she would be difficult to maintain and expensive to run. It has therefore been decided to decommission “Britannia” in 1997. The Government will now consider the question of whether to replace “Britannia”.

— Viscount Cranborne, House of Lords Hansard: Written Answers 23 June 1994.

In January 1997, the government committed itself to replacing the Royal Yacht if reelected. The timing of the announcement, close to a general election, was controversial; The Guardian Weekly called it “part of a populist appeal to wavering Tory voters in the run-up to the general election” and reported that the Queen was “furious” that the Royal Family was “dragged into the centre of the election campaign, just as it is fighting to restore its public image.” Sir Edward Heath publicly objected to the government’s handling of the issue, stating “The Conservative Party above all must be an honourable party. And I don’t believe the actions that have been taken are honourable ones and should never have been taken in this way.”

Does the British royal family still have a yacht?

However, when Tony Blair’s Labour government won the election, and the new government once again declined to pay for Britannia. Britannia’s final journey was to far-flung Hong Kong in 1997, as Prince Charles turned over the British colony back to the Chinese at the end of Britain’s 99-year lease. When they finally decommissioned the boat that summer, the queen cried—one of the few times she’s shown emotion in public. The boat had logged over one million nautical miles.

Today, Britannia sits permanently docked in Edinburgh. Visitors can take tours of its grand galleys, or even rent it out for events. Yet, despite its retirement, the concept of the royal yacht lives on: In 2021, Boris Johnson floated the idea of a new boat. However, a mere eight days ago, Rishi Sunak has scrapped the project—showing that, even now, the concept remains a controversial one.

Did the Queen like Tony Blair?

Blair was rumored to have been one of Queen Elizabeth’s least favorite Prime Ministers. Every item on this page was chosen by a Town & Country editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy.

The relationships between the late Queen Elizabeth II and the Prime Ministers who led the government during her reign—15 of them during her 70 years on the throne—have always been a source of interest. While the queen was generally circumspect about her feelings on particular PMs the public have gleaned certain impressions over the years. Elizabeth’s first PM, Winston Churchill, was widely regarded as her favorite, and though the queen never made any open statements to the effect, rumors have long held one of her least favorites as Tony Blair.

Serving ten years as PM, including, famously during the tumultuous period following the death of Princess Diana, just months into his first term, it’s no surprise that Blair plays a notable role in the latest season of The Crown. Blair, like his fellow former PM John Major, spoke out against his portrayal on the series ahead of its previous season 5, calling it “complete and utter rubbish,” but what was the former Labour leader’s relationship with the royal family really like?

Blair first took on the role of PM in May 1997, just days before his 44th birthday, making him the youngest Prime Minister since 1812 and the first of Elizabeth’s reign to be born after she took the throne. Oxford educated Blair was known for his charisma and more “modern” attitude, encouraging those around him to simply refer to his as Tony (the queen, more of a traditionalist, reportedly demurred the request.)

Does the royal family still own the Britannia?

Since 1998, following a successful national tender process, Britannia has been berthed permanently at the Port of Leith in Edinburgh. There are currently no British royal yachts, although MV Hebridean Princess and MY Leander G have both been used by the royal family.

Data about launch years from Royal Yachts of the World by Tim Madge.

• Mary (1660–1675)
• Royal Escape (dates unknown)
• Anne (1661–unknown)
• Bezan (1661–unknown)
• Katherine (first ship of that name) (1661–unknown): built by Phineas Pett
• Minion (dates unknown)
• Charles (first ship of that name) (1662–unknown)
• Jamie or Jemmy (1662–unknown)
• Henrietta (first ship of that name) (1663–unknown)
• Merlin* (1666–unknown)
• Monmouth (1666–unknown)
• Navy (1666–unknown)
• Saudadoes (1670–unknown)
• Cleveland (1671–unknown)
• Queenborough (first ship of that name) (1671–unknown)
• Deale (1673–unknown)
• Isle of Wight (1673–unknown)
• Kitchen (1670–unknown)
• Katherine (second ship of that name) (1674–unknown)
• Portsmouth (first ship of that name) (1674–unknown)
• Charles (second ship of that name) (1675–unknown); Charlot (1677–unknown); Mary (second ship of that name) (1677–unknown); Henrietta (second ship of that name) (1679–unknown); Izabella Bezan (1680–unknown); Fubbs (1682–unknown); Isabella (first ship of that name) (1680–unknown); William & Mary (first ship of that name) (1694–unknown); Squirrel (1694–unknown); Scout (1695–unknown); Queenborough (second ship of that name) (1701–unknown); Soesdyke (1702–unknown); Portsmouth (second ship of that name) (1702–unknown); Isabella (1703–unknown); Drake (1705–unknown)

What happened to the Royal Yacht Britannia in 1997?

Historical Timeline. Britannia was the first Royal Yacht to be built with complete ocean-going capacity and designed as a Royal residence to entertain guests around the world. When she was decommissioned in 1997, it marked the end of a long tradition of British Royal Yachts, dating back to 1660 and the reign of Charles II.

There is additional information aboutBritannia’sspecifications and construction contained in the technical paper.

VICTORIA & ALBERT III. Britannia’s predecessor was the Victoria & Albert III – the first Royal Yacht not to be powered by sail. It was built for Queen Victoria, but she never stepped on board, concerned about the yacht’s stability. King Edward VII did sail on the Victoria & Albert, mainly in local waters and the Mediterranean. Having served four sovereigns over 38 years and not left Northern Europe since 1911, the Victoria & Albert was decommissioned in 1939. She was eventually broken up for scrap at Faslane in 1954.

Which prime minister decommissioned the royal yacht Britannia?

However, despite overwhelming success as an ambassador for Britain, it was becoming evermore difficult to justify the ship’s running costs. During a bleak financial time in the run-up to a general election, John Major’s conservative government announced the decision to decommission HMY Britannia.

Naturally, although the Queen fully understood, she was ultimately heartbroken.

Too expensive to continue. In 1986, the ship was dispatched on a rescue mission to save refugees from the Yemen civil war; something that would have undoubtedly pleased King George VI.

What would have provided disappointment, however, was that the Britannia was deemed unsuitable for action during the Falklands war some years prior.

Who owns the Royal Yacht in Britannia now?

The Trust. Britannia is owned and cared for by The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust. Britannia is part of the Core Collection of the National Register of Historic Vessels, the official register of the most important British ships in existence.

As befits its charitable objectives, the Trust’s principal activity is to encourage as many people as possible to visit Britannia, in order to learn more about this iconic vessel and the ambassadorial role she undertook throughout the world. Since opening to the public on 19 October 1998, Britannia normally attracts between 350,000 and 400,000 visitors per annum, usually making it one of Scotland’s top 10 paid admission visitor attractions. Since first joining our national tourist board’s quality assurance scheme, VisitScotland has graded us in the 5 Star ‘World Class’ category. In addition, for 13 years Britannia received the highest quality mark awarded that year by VisitScotland, making it Scotland’s Best Visitor Attraction. The Royal Yacht Britannia has, for the second time, been awarded Tripadvisor’s No.1 UK Attraction andhas retained its Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Best of the Best Award, which is awarded to less than 1% of Tripadvisor’s 8 million listings.

Click here to make a donation to ourCharitable Trust (SC028070).

Did the British government pay to refurbish the Britannia?

The cost of running Britannia was always an issue. Politicians raised questions about its financial value as far back as 1954, when two MPs lobbied for an investigation on why the yacht’s refurbishment would cost 5.8 million pounds, accusing the royal family of waste and extravagance. A government committee later dismissed the accusations. In 1994, the Conservative government ruled the yacht too costly to refurbish, when repairs came in at a whopping 17 million, but then briefly walked back on their decision a few years later.

However, when Tony Blair’s Labour government won the election, and the new government once again declined to pay for Britannia. Britannia’s final journey was to far-flung Hong Kong in 1997, as Prince Charles turned over the British colony back to the Chinese at the end of Britain’s 99-year lease. When they finally decommissioned the boat that summer, the queen cried—one of the few times she’s shown emotion in public. The boat had logged over one million nautical miles.

Today, Britannia sits permanently docked in Edinburgh. Visitors can take tours of its grand galleys, or even rent it out for events. Yet, despite its retirement, the concept of the royal yacht lives on: In 2021, Boris Johnson floated the idea of a new boat. However, a mere eight days ago, Rishi Sunak has scrapped the project—showing that, even now, the concept remains a controversial one.

Does the royal family still have the Britannia yacht?

Britannia was launched from the John Brown & Company shipyard in Clydebank, Scotland, on 16 April, 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 Queen Elizabeth II, Britannia provided the perfect Royal residence for glittering state visits, official receptions, Royal honeymoons and relaxing family holidays. For Great Britain, she was a majestic symbol of the Commonwealth and a proud ambassadorgenerating billions of pounds in trade deals. For the Royal Family and 220 dedicated crewof Royal Yachtsmen, she was home.

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