Very few people, of whatever nationality, ever refused an invitation to dine on Britannia. Even though being on board Britannia allowed Her Majesty to relax, she was still faced with affairs of state, and would spend several hours each day working on official documents, ferried to wherever the Royal Yacht was in the world in their distinctive red dispatch boxes. Prince Phillip had his own sitting room, a much more masculine design, although he referred to it as his study.
Each room had a bathroom, equipped with a thermometer so that the Royal bath water was always at the correct temperature. There are two further bedrooms on the Shelter deck, including one known informally as the honeymoon suite which houses the only double bed on board. Just along from the Royal bedrooms is the Verandah Deck, which also served a dual function as a leisure area for the family or a reception area during official visits.
Among its furnishings is an impressive binnacle—a receptacle for a compass. Read more: 10 of the best historic literary homes. Nevertheless, it was difficult in the modern world to justify the existence of a Royal Yacht. In , the decision was finally taken to decommission Britannia. Just three years later the British Government announced that it would not be replaced. It was decided, however, that unlike its predecessors, the yacht would not be scuttled, but would go on show as a tourist attraction at a location to be decided.
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Transport Buses: Ocean Terminal , 11, 22 or Nearby places Royal Botanic Garden 2. Scott Monument Georgian House. 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 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. 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 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 —storms and foot waves left the couple stricken with seasickness for the first week of their Caribbean cruise. Prince Charles and Princess Diana famously spent their honeymoon on a Mediterranean cruise aboard the yacht. The crew managed to duck the press so efficiently they garnered the nickname "the ghost ship. 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 aptly named 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.
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