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The Royal Yacht Britannia, Ocean Drive, Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6JJ

Tel: 0131 555 5566 Email us: [email protected]

The Royal Yacht Britannia is open, start your tour on the Ground Floor of Ocean Terminal

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On the Royal Yacht

Famous faces

Dinner in the State Dining Room

HRH The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

Boarding the Royal Yacht

HRH Prince Charles and Princess Diana

Smiling on board the Royal Yacht

With the Boys

Princess Diana with William & Harry

Working out on board

Prince Philip with Yotties

In the Engine Room

A performance for the Royal Family

Celebrations

The Yotties

An iconic journey

On the deck

Concorde flies over Britannia

Heading to Gibraltar

Commonwealth Tour, May 1954

Arrive in style

Setting the table

State Dining Room

Take your place

Exquisite Cuisine

The Finest Champagne

Fingal, our 23-cabin floating hotel permanently berthed in the historic Port of Leith.

Stay aboard in one of our luxury cabins, Hyskeir.

Ornsay, a luxury duplex cabin set over two floors, united by a spiral staircase.

Fingal’s spectacular Ballroom, with sweeping staircases and a removable skylight, is the perfect venue for any occasion.

The Lighthouse Bar serves afternoon tea, light evening supper and cocktails.

Each of Fingal's 23 stunning cabins are named after Stevenson lighthouses.

Walk through Fingal’s Engine Room with glass flooring and side panels over the industrial engines.

Visiting Britannia

Tripadvisor’s No.1 UK Attraction 2023

Start your tour at our entrance, currently located on the Ground Floor of Ocean Terminal. Please note that tickets purchased in person are by card/contactless only. 

Please pre-book your tickets to guarantee admission.

Due to upcoming construction work at Ocean Terminal Shopping Centre , Britannia will be closed 25-28 June.

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. 

AA Hotel of the Year Scotland, AA five-star hotel and 2 AA Rosettes

Learn more: fingal.co.uk

I visited the Royal Yacht Britannia, the royal family's luxurious private cruise ship known as a 'floating palace.' Take a look inside.

• The Royal Yacht Britannia was the royal family's private yacht from 1953 to 1997.
• The ship is now a museum open to the public in Edinburgh, Scotland.
• The tour shows the Queen's bedroom, state rooms used for entertaining, and crew bunks.

The Royal Yacht Britannia was the royal family's private yacht from 1953 to 1997.

With its many royal family vacations and official tours, the yacht logged over 1 million miles , the equivalent of one trip around the world for each of its 44 years at sea.

The Queen once said that "Britannia is the one place where I can truly relax."

The Labour government decommissioned the ship in 1997 due to its high operation cost of £11 million each year, Reuters reported . That's equivalent to about $23 million today.

At the decommissioning ceremony, the Queen  shed a rare public tear .

The ship has made several appearances in Netflix's "The Crown," including season five .

The yacht is now a museum open to the public in Edinburgh, Scotland.

On a recent trip to Scotland , I booked a ticket for the Royal Yacht Britannia museum, which costs £18.50 ($23) for adults.

The entrance is located inside the Ocean Terminal shopping center in Edinburgh.

Before boarding the yacht, visitors walk through a museum detailing the boat's history and connection to the royal family.

The five-story ship was a royal residence as well as a Royal Navy ship, with a full-time staff of more than 240 royal yachtsmen and officers.

The museum displays photos of the royal family's life aboard the ship, as well as items like crew uniforms.

Then, a walkway with more photos leads to the deck of the boat.

The ship is docked on the water just outside the shopping center.

I listened to the audio tour of the ship on my phone by scanning a QR code.

There were also separate listening devices available.

Each room of the ship had a number that you could type in and press "play" to hear about your surroundings in an array of languages.

The first stop was the bridge, the main control point of the yacht.

In this small space, officers navigated the seas and recorded data in the ship's logbooks.

Outside, the flag deck is the highest point on the ship.

Britannia had three masts, and different flags were used to communicate with other ships on the water.

The admiral's cabin and suite is the most spacious on the ship, aside from the royal apartments.

The admiral's accommodations featured a day room, bedroom, bathroom, and pantry. The sofa and armchairs in the dayroom are over 100 years old and came from the previous royal yacht, Victoria and Albert III.

The royal family often sunbathed, played deck hockey, or swam in a collapsible swimming pool on the Veranda Deck.

Part of the yacht's royal quarters, the deck was also used for receptions and group photos.

Prince Philip occasionally set up his easel on the deck to paint.

Overlooking the Veranda Deck, the Sun Lounge was one of the Queen's favorite rooms on the ship.

Queen Elizabeth would often take her breakfast and afternoon tea in the Sun Lounge.

The Queen's bedroom on the Royal Yacht Britannia featured bed linens that once belonged to Queen Victoria.

The embroidered silk panel above the Queen's bed, commissioned in 1953, cost £450 ($560, or $6,250 in today's money).

Her sheets were embossed with "HM The Queen."

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip had separate bedrooms connected by an adjoining door.

Each room had its own bathroom.

Philip's bedroom featured red linens, and he requested pillowcases without lace trim.

A button next to each of their beds would summon a royal steward.

Across the hall, the Honeymoon Suite was the only room onboard with a double bed.

The double bed was requested by then-Prince Charles when he honeymooned with Princess Diana in 1981.

The room was also used as a nursery when the royal children were young.

The Anteroom served as a recreational space for the officers, off-limits to the rest of the crew.

Officers would spend their time here listening to the radio and playing board games.

The royal family occasionally dined in the adjoining Wardroom.

Britannia's 19 officers ate meals here, accompanied by the Royal Marines Band.

Britannia has three galleys, which are still working kitchens today.

The galleys prepare food for the Royal Deck Tea Room and events hosted on the ship.

The Royal Deck Tea Room offers an extensive menu of soups, sandwiches, scones, and other treats for visitors to the museum.

The royal family once used the space to entertain guests and play deck games.

The state dining room is the largest room on the Royal Yacht Britannia.

Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher, Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, Nelson Mandela, and many other world leaders dined here with the royal family.

The placement of each utensil was measured with a ruler.

Just off the state dining room, the Queen's sitting room served as her office.

Here, the Queen would meet with her press secretaries and prepare for royal visits.

On the opposite side of the hall, the Duke of Edinburgh had his own sitting room.

Both Philip and Charles used the room as a study. Philip kept a model of his first naval command, the HMS Magpie, above his desk.

The telephones connecting the sitting rooms to each other and their private secretaries' offices are identical to the phones used in Buckingham Palace.

The large Drawing Room and connecting Anteroom could accommodate up to 250 guests.

The Drawing Room featured an electric fireplace and cozy floral furniture. When it wasn't being used as a reception space during formal events, the royal family used it to relax and play games on the card tables.

Petty officers and Royal Marine sergeants kicked back in their living quarters, also known as the mess.

Petty officers would occasionally entertain the Queen and other royal family members here.

The crew bunks weren't as glamorous as the royal apartments.

Each bunk folded up into a seat, and crew members stored their possessions in lockers.

Britannia's NAAFI (Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes) shop sold souvenirs and sweets, as well as essentials like toothpaste.

Diana once bought Prince William a Britannia souvenir shirt from the shop. Today, it sells homemade fudge to museum guests.

The ship's sick bay and operating theater still feature the original furnishings from the 1950s.

The ship's doctor attended to crew members, while the Queen's royal surgeon traveled with her on voyages.

Britannia's laundry room could reach temperatures of 120 degrees Fahrenheit as it washed up to 600 shirts in one day.

The royal family's laundry was done on different days than the crew's laundry.

All of the clocks onboard the Royal Yacht Britannia are stopped at 3:01 p.m.

The clocks are frozen at the  time the Queen stepped off the ship for the last time  during its decommissioning ceremony in December 1997.

The tour concludes in a gift shop full of royal souvenirs.

Amid the Britannia-themed mugs, pens, and aprons, the gift shop also sold replicas of royal jewelry.

There's even a photo-op at the end of the tour where you can practice your royal wave.

The tour was full of surprising facts about royal life and travels, and I couldn't believe that we actually got to see inside Queen Elizabeth's bedroom on the ship. It's definitely worth a visit.

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The Royal Yacht Britannia : A History of Queen Elizabeth II’s Favorite Palace

By Lisa Liebman

The christening of The Royal Yacht Britannia serves as a cheeky season opener to  The Crown . Black-and-white Pathé News–style footage shows a soon-to-be-crowned Queen Elizabeth II (Claire Foy) cheered on by shipbuilders as she launches her new 412-foot yacht. “I hope that this brand-new vessel, like your brand-new queen, will prove to be dependable and constant. Capable of weathering any storm,” she says about the royal replacement for the  Victoria and Albert III . By the series’ season finale, set 44 years later, both the sovereign and the floating palace she christened  Britannia will have hit rough seas—the cost of repairing the creaky old vessel and the modern role of the monarchy both in question. Ultimately, the yacht that undertook 968 official voyages all over the world, hosting dignitaries—including 13 US presidents—at receptions and banquets, was dry-docked near Edinburgh, Scotland, where it continues to be a popular tourist attraction. Here are some of the most buoyant facts about the palace the Queen famously said was “the one place where I can truly relax.”

The sun room on the Royal Yacht Britannia as photographed in 1981. 

In a nod to the country’s post-war austerity, Elizabeth scaled back the design of the ship that her father, King George VI, had commissioned just two days before he died. Rather than following the opulent plan laid out by the Scottish firm McInnes Gardner & Partners, she opted for the understated elegance envisioned by architect Sir Hugh Casson, who described “running a lawn mower over the Louis XVIl adornments” in favor of simple white walls, lilac-gray carpeting, and “a bit of gilding in grand places.” Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Phillip, were said to have personally chosen the furniture—much of it, including linens, recycled from the  Victoria and Albert —fabrics (florals, chintz, toile), and paintings. 

Prince Charles and Princess Diana on board the Royal Yacht Britannia as they prepare to depart on their honeymoon cruise in 1981.

As a former Royal Navy Commander, Prince Phillip also saw to the ship’s technical details, and his Bluebottle racing yacht inspired the Britannia ’s navy-hued hull. Outer decks were made of two-inch Burmese teak. The steering wheel was reclaimed from Britannia ’s namesake, King Edward VII’s 1893 racing yacht; a wheelhouse wheel came from George V’s racing yacht; and a gold-and-white binnacle (housing the ship’s compass) was salvaged from King George III’s yacht and installed on the Veranda deck. Fittings from former royal ships were also reused. 

The drawing room on the Royal Yacht Britannia as photographed in 1978. 

The 4,000-ton yacht had a crew of 220 Royal Yachtsmen who lived on board, about 45 household staff, and occasionally a 26-member Royal Marine embarked to entertain dignitaries. The monarch often welcomed guests from the ship’s grand staircase. (Stairs leading from the Veranda to the Royal deck were sometimes transformed into a water slide for the kids.)  Britannia ’s apartments were designed like those of a first-class ocean liner. A 56-seat state dining room, where many of the gifts given to the monarch (a wood-carved shark from Pitcairn Island, a bejeweled gold statue from Bangkok) were displayed, was the scene of formal dinners with guests such as Sir Winston Churchill, Frank Sinatra, Nelson Mandela, and Bill and Hillary Clinton. More intimate gatherings were held in the Queen’s official reception room, a smaller state drawing room with floral upholstered pieces, simple wood tables, an electric fireplace, and a Welmar baby grand piano bolted to the deck—played by everyone from Sir Noël Coward to Princesses Diana and Margaret. The teak-clad sun lounge, with rattan furniture and a toile loveseat, was Elizabeth’s favorite place—where she had her breakfast, afternoon tea, and also enjoyed her favorite Dubonnet and gin cocktails.

The Queen’s sitting room on the Royal Yacht Britannia as photographed in 1981. 

By Katherine McLaughlin

By Bianca Giulione

By Stacie Stukin

A ship elevator reserved for royal use moved between the Upper and Shelter Decks. The latter is where four Royal Apartments (bedrooms), including the Queen and Prince Phillip’s connecting compartments, were located. Hers featured florals, his had red accents. Elizabeth’s understated Upper Deck private sitting room, done in pastels and neutrals, served as the office where she conducted state business. Phillip used his sitting room, with its wood desk facing a model of his first command, the HMS Magpie , as his study. Below deck there was a wine cellar, as well as a cargo hold that could carry a barge, speed- and sailboats, plus a royal Range Rover and Rolls-Royce. The yacht could also be converted into a hospital (though it never was).

The Queen shed a tear at the decommissioning ceremony for thye Royal Yacht Britannia.

As depicted in  The Crown, Britannia ’s final official trip was to Hong Kong in 1997, where Prince Charles attended the handover of the territory to China. By then, Prime Minister Tony Blair’s administration was complaining that the £11 million a year needed to keep the boat afloat couldn’t be justified. With Queen Elizabeth, Prince Phillip, and all of their children in attendance,  Britannia 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. (Prior to their wedding, Princess Anne and Mark Phillips’s daughter Zara Phillips and her fiancé Mike Tindall had a celebration there.) Visitors will note that every clock on board reads 3:01, the exact time the Queen disembarked her beloved  Britannia for the final time on that December day.

By Perri Ormont Blumberg

Photo tour: Inside the Royal Yacht Britannia

Inside The Royal Yacht Britannia - incredible rare photos

The royal family's yacht is now decommissioned and here's a chance to see inside.

The Royal Yacht Britannia is a hit tourist attraction in Edinburgh, but it used to be a commissioned vessel frequently used by the royal family. Many royal fans may remember it from a Netflix episode of The Crown , and the late Queen Elizabeth II was so fond of it that she even shed a tear when it was decommissioned in 1997.

Take a look inside the amazing boat that has a fascinating history, checking out everything from the late Queen's bedroom to the awe-inspiring engine room…

The Queen's bedroom

A photograph from 1998, reveals the room Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II used to sleep in. The modest-sized bed and simple in-room desk are a far cry from the grand palaces the family are used to.

The royal dining room

An archived picture shows what the boat's dining room used to look like when dressed for special dinners. There are multiple oval, wooden tables, matching wooden chairs and flowers and lamps add to the decadent atmosphere.

A lovely sun room

One of the yacht's sitting rooms has two floral sofas which wouldn't look out of place in an actual royal residence. A collection of other furniture ranges from outdoor-style chairs to antique-looking side tables.

A top deck perfect for hosting

Zara and Mike Tindall used the boat to host a pre-wedding party, and pictures from the event show many members of the royal family on the top deck enjoying conversations and drinks.

READ:  Prince William and Princess Kate reveal how many staff they actually have

The engine room

A picture inside the engine room shows the inner workings of the ship. The Herald Scotland explains that there was reportedly a doormat at the edge of the engine room to ensure it was kept in immaculate condition.

Did you know, they may not have use of the royal yacht anymore, but they still use a royal train?

The royal train has been used by the royal family since 1840, and the nine-carriage Royal Train is equipped with multiple bedrooms and bathrooms, a dining room that seats 12 people, and even an office.

SEE:  Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's bittersweet moment packing up Frogmore Cottage caught on camera

It is the source of much fascination and has previously been featured in Channel 5 documentary, Secrets of the Royal Train.

In January this year, King Charles took his first ride on it since becoming monarch, travelling from Scotland to Manchester.

Queen Elizabeth II 's last journey on the locomotive was in June 2022 when she travelled to Edinburgh . 

In 2018, the then-newlywed Duchess of Sussex   travelled on the royal train to Cheshire with Her Majesty.

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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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The Royal Yacht Britannia

Review Highlights

“ What you can see is: the sleeping rooms of the royal family ; those for the staff and the guests. ” in 26 reviews

“ They also offer audio guide at the entrance so we could have better understanding of what is what. ” in 13 reviews

“ The entrance in the Ocean Terminal is great, the audio tour is excellent and the boat is laid out perfectly. ” in 14 reviews

Location & Hours

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Ocean Terminal

Edinburgh EH6 6JJ

United Kingdom

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About the business.

Experience the UK's No. 1 Visitor Attraction (Best UK Attraction Which? Magazine). The Royal Yacht Britannia proudly served the Royal Family for over 40 years, sailing over one million miles around the world. Now berthed in Edinburgh, you can follow in the footsteps of Royalty and world leaders with a fascinating complimentary audio tour of her magnificent five decks, available in 27 languages. Tablets are available with the British tour in British and American Sign Language. There is an audio handset tour in 'Basic English' for visitors with learning disabilities. From the Royal Apartments to the Crew's Quarters and Engine Room, there is something for everyone to enjoy. Treat yourself in the Royal Deck Tea Room with delicious menus made on board in the Royal Galley, stunning waterfront views and waiter service that will make you feel like Royalty. Complete your tour with a browse round the fabulous Gift Shop in Ocean Terminal. The Royal Yacht Britannia is also an exclusive private events venue. …

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A unique experience. The rich history and opulence are unparalleled. The tour includes many different areas and allows you to see the areas that visitors did not see (such as the laundry room).

We took the hop on hop off bus here. Unfortunately, the ticket agent didn't reduce our ticket prices with tour ticket for the bus; however, we contacted them afterwards and they made arrangements for the proper credit. Wonderful customer service! The vessel itself and the interiors were all excellently preserved and a marvel to see. You could imagine when the royals were milling about or the many staff were busy to keep the yacht moving and operating. We enjoyed the self guided tour. There were plenty of restrooms on board for public use. There was also a cafe for tea and a fudge shop.

I've been wanting to visit the Queen's Royal Yacht since I was a kid. I just knew I couldn't visit Scotland without seeing it, so it was the first thing I did after I arrived in Scotland. Parking was plentiful on my visit, however, I had a hard time locating the parking garage. I had to drive up and down the street a couple of times before I realized where the entrance was. Totally my fault because I was still learning the methods of driving in Scotland at this point. I purchased my timed entry ticket a month in advance, but I was running 30 minutes late for my entry window due to heavy rain and even heavier traffic from Glasgow. I was worried that they would deny me entry when I got there per the entry rules on their website. However, when I arrived, they scanned my ticket with no issues. I was very happy I purchased my ticket in advance because they were extremely busy. I do wish they would remove the timed entry though, it's truly stressful when things happen out of your control and you can't make your entry window. After my ticket was scanned, I waited in line to pickup an audio headset for the tour. The audio tour is great because it gives you some history and insight into what you're seeing as you move along the Yacht. I'd set aside 3 hours for the tour if you want to see, read, and hear the audio in every room. If you're short on time, 2 hours is the minimum amount of time I'd plan around. The Yacht is huge and if it's busy, you'll have to do a lot of waiting in line before you can move forward. It was raining and cold during my visit, so guests who didn't have umbrellas huddled into some of the warm rooms to get out of the rain and warm up. This really made it harder to see and capture pictures in some of the key areas. I highly suggest you bring an umbrella just incase, it's Scotland after all, and it will make your tour easier if it does rain. The Yacht was absolutely amazing. It was cool to see Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip's bedroom's, as well as the Royal Dining Room that hosted President's, World Leaders, and other Notable persons. My absolute favorite was the Sun deck. I could totally visualize Princess Margaret sitting in a lounge chair with a cigarette in one hand and a glass of something strong in the other as she looked out at the ocean. I'm sure the Royal children including King Charles have some great family memories on that sun deck. Lastly, I really enjoyed learning about the Royal Navy and other service staff who manned and lived on the Royal Yacht. It's amazing to think it took 300 service people to run this ship anytime the Queen, Prince, or other Royals were on a voyage. It's nice to know the service staff were well taken care of as well. Ticket prices are well worth everything you get to see and learn about while on the Royal Yacht. Queen Elizabeth II truly lived a Royal Life made for a Queen. I'm grateful I was able to get a glimpse of the life she was given. People say Scotland was Her Majesty's favorite place in the world, it's only suitable that her home on the sea rest in Scotland as well. I highly recommend a visit to the Royal Yacht if you ever find yourself in Edinburgh, it's definitely worth the visit.

See all photos from Monica H. for The Royal Yacht Britannia

Amazing to the opulent wealth of British Royals. Captains were admirals in the royal navy. Used for weekend cruise ship. Costing millions of pounds. For no other purpose than spoiling incredible wealthy people at taxpayer expense. Peasants.

Great trip through history and the exhibits on the yacht are fantastic. The tea room was also a great experience and the entire staff were helpful and friendly.

Vies from the tea room

We visited the Royal Yacht Britannia years ago and this is the first time we have been back. What a great decision. The entrance in the Ocean Terminal is great, the audio tour is excellent and the boat is laid out perfectly. The tea room during the middle of the tour is lovely with a service befitting the setting. All in all a lovely 1 1/2 hour visit.

Our visit aboard the RYB was so much more interesting than we imagined it would be! This was Queen Elizabeth & Royal Family's home away from home from 1953 to 1997. It sailed 1,000,000 nautical miles. It's a fascinating contrast with the stately private and public rooms that the Royal Family occupied and the below deck quarters of the "Yotties" who served aboard. The RYB hosted 968 state visits with such luminaries as: Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela, Ronald Reagan and Rajiv Ghandhi. There were many other official receptions, four Royal honeymoons and over 44 years of Royal holidays spent aboard. I especially liked the Queen's bedroom and Prince Phillip's next door, the state dining room with ornate place settings, the "casual" wood floored sun room and the top deck Tea Room. The officers' pub below decks, the non-officer lounge and the various gifts from around the world were also worthwhile. It's £16 for adults and a free audio set (a bit clunky and unwieldy though) is included in the price. There's a really well-stocked gift shop with lots of variety and they sell the ship's homemade fudge both onboard and in the shop. Your admission helps to preserve the ship via the Royal Yacht Britannia Trust. This was the last of 83 Royal yachts in a tradition that began in the 1660's! There is free parking at the Leith mall where it is located. We took the city bus from the Royal Mile and the bus drivers were kind enough to help us with the fare. I usually don't say this about "tourist" attractions, but I'd come back for high tea on that beautiful upper deck with a view. Yelp Challenge 2018: 70/100

As an American, we found it interesting at the opulence of the Royal family. We have no royalty here in USA, so we find it interesting at the money spent to keep the Royals living in such opulence. I am disabled, and it was great for me to see it. The staff was wonderful and helpful. I was surprised to se that Admirals commanded the operation of what essentially was a pleasure craft for the Royal family. As I understand it....they are not actually in command of anything in the UK. Basically public figureheads. In the US, our President lives in opuance also, but much is needed to protect the actual head of our Government. The Britannia is well worth seeing, and this was my second visit being there 2018 as well.

Nice tour, but a shame that you can't move directly between decks (there is an access stairwell that connects all decks). Nicely maintained vessel. The Royal Deck Tearoom on the Britannia was a pleasant stop for coffee and tea during our tour of the yacht. Pretty standard tearoom fare, and a bit expensive, but great views and nice place to spend some time. The Britannia is an easy bus ride from the Royal Mile area, but still took over 30 minutes to get there.

Being a navy veteran, I was really anticipating our visit to the Royal Yacht Britannia and I wasn't disappointed. The yacht is well preserved and really shows off the grandeur of how the Royal family traveled. There is a bit of a "disconnect" between the grandeur of the yacht and the real world as you enter the yacht exhibit through a shopping mall. There is an admission fee to tour the yacht but it's well worth the cost of admission. We used the self-guided audio tour which did a good job of explaining what we were seeing. This is an excellent attraction and is well worth the admission fee. The yacht is well preserved and well maintained.

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Amazing Photos Show the Inside of the Royal Yacht Britannia

March 24, 2024 Vintage Everyday life & culture , travel , vehicles 0

The Royal Yacht Britannia was built by the Clyde shipbuilders Messrs John Brown & Co at a cost of £2,098,000 to replace her 50-year-old predecessor, Victoria and Albert III. The vessel was named and launched by The Queen on 16 April 1953 and was commissioned on 11 January 1954. The name was The Queen’s personal choice.

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16 Photos Of The Royal Family On The Britannia

So many couples honeymooned on the grand yacht.

Tim Graham/Tim Graham Photo Library/Getty Images

The Royal Yacht Britannia went into production in 1952 and is the setting for various parts of The Crown . In the first episode of Season 5, the costly ship’s reparations are controversial, as the Queen asks Prime Minister John Major for funding.

Keystone/Hulton Royals Collection/Getty Images

Here, Elizabeth II makes her way to the launching ceremony for the yacht in April 1953. Britannia traveled more than one million nautical miles during her tenure, according to the yacht’s official website.

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Royal Yacht Britannia

Ursula Schmitz

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After a rainy night sunshine greeted me on my first morning in Edinburgh and I decided to start my tour around the city in Leith and on board of the Royal Yacht Britannia. After being launched in April 1953 the Royal Yacht served the Royal Family for 44 years and travelled over one million nautical miles. She was the last of 83 Royal Yachts , a tradition that begun in the 1660s.

The tour starts at the bridge and captains quarters. You receive an audioguide at the entrence and are free to tour around the Yachts on your own, which takes about two hours.

Britannia was a home away from home – a royal residence with it´s own Rolls-Royce on board. She is not only a beauty, but it does feel cosy and who wouldn´t want to take her for a tour!

Walking on board Britannia , is like stepping back into the 1950s. Sir Hugh Casson was the designer of the Royal Apartments, having previously met Prince Philip when he worked as the Coordinating Architect for the Festival of Britain. Sir Hugh was originally invited to advise on the interior design after the initial plans from Glasgow-based firm, McInnes Gardner & Partners, were considered too lavish by The Queen and Prince Philip in this post-war period. His simple elegance has stood the test of time; the interior design was barely updated during her 44 years of service. ( Royal Yacht Britannia )

Around the walls are displayed many exotic gifts given to The Queen, as she travelled around the world on official visits. ( Royal Yacht Britannia )

Below deck 21 officers and 220 yachtsmen were working and living. The different rangs also had different quarters and leisure areas.

Around half the ship’s company were appointed for a two year tour of duty. The rest were hand-picked for permanent service and remained with Britannia throughout their naval career. Promotion on Britannia was slow as so many Yotties turned down their natural promotion on to other Royal Navy ships to stay in their existing rank on board Britannia . Therefore promotion for the Yotties became known as ‘Dead Man’s Shoes,’ waiting for the post holder to retire. Duties ranged from ensuring the slope of the royal gangway was never steeper than 12° to arranging the royal flowers; from daily diving to search the seabed beneath the Yacht to polishing the silverware. In temperatures of up to 120°F, they manned Britannia’s ‘state of the art’ Laundry, yet were as pristine as the ship herself at all times; the Royal Yacht was one of very few Royal Navy ships that did not have a Chinese Laundry service. The junior Yachtsmen also had the arduous task of scrubbing the two-inch thick teak decks each day to keep them in pristine condition. They were also called on to work at the many prestigious state banquets and dinners held on board. ( Royal Yacht Britannia )

The on board hospital/sick bay

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