The Britannia came to Edinburgh 25 years ago. To celebrate this anniversary, King Charles III. (74) now the former royal yacht in Leith harbour. There was a reception and tour of the ship for the monarch. The Britannia is said to have been one of the favorite places for Charles’ late mother, Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022).
Charles may have had childhood memories coming back to the Britannia. In an Instagram Story, the Royal Family shared a memoir of young Charles, then Prince of Wales, with his sister, Princess Anne, 72, and his parents, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip (1921-2021), on board the Yacht in 1956.
The royals then posted a video of the king’s visit to the ship. Dressed in an elegant dark blue suit, he traditionally sips rum with ex-Britannia sailors. It says: “From the engine room to the laundry to the dining room… The King has returned to the Royal Yacht Britannia.”
The ship was in service for 44 years from 1953, “made almost 1,000 state visits to 135 countries and sailed over 1 million nautical miles”. Since her decommissioning in 1997, the Royal Yacht Britannia has welcomed over 6.5 million visitors.
King Charles’ visit to Britannia is part of Holyrood Week, which sees the monarch in Scotland for a number of traditional events. Not only will he be meeting numerous people and throwing a garden party during his stay, but he is also due to be crowned again in Edinburgh on July 5th.
At a first date on Monday (July 3rd), Charles showed up in a classic kilt. He had traveled to the town of Bo’ness in Falkirk to meet with representatives of various aid organizations, among other things. During a visit to Kinneil House, he greeted numerous citizens.
