Royal Family News: How Much Did The Royal Family Yacht Cost, And What Happened To It?

Royal Family news reveals that British taxpayers shelled out almost $19.5 million (£17 million) just to refurbish her. Read on to find out how much the boat cost and what happened to it.

Royal Family News:

Royal Family news reveals, according to Cosmopolitan Magazine, the new season of The Crown will begin with a flashback to 1954 when the Royal Family’s yacht, the HMY Britannia, was first commissioned. Further on in the episode, fans will see Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip taking holiday in Scotland on the royal boat. Then discussions begin over how much it would cost to refurbish the yacht – quite a hefty sum.

With this first episode, a lot of questions are likely to arise about the royal yacht, even accounting for the fact that the show is a fictionalized accounting of true-life events. For answers, we’ll need to consult the history books.

Did The Royal Family Actually Own Their Own Yacht?

Yes indeed. The Royal Family did own a yacht, though it wasn’t the flashy boats we see these days on shows like Below Deck. The HMY Britannia was the 83rd vessel of its type since King Charles II.

The boat was launched from the John Brown & Company shipyard in Clydebank, Scotland, on April 16, 1953, according to the official website for the Britannia. It was commissioned on January 11, 1954. The ship was used to transport royal family members on national and international visits and vacations.

The boat was also designed to be quickly converted into a hospital ship in times of war. Fortunately, this capability was never required. Another interesting fact is that the boat was intended to be used, in the event of nuclear war, to safely house the Queen and her husband the Duke of Edinburgh.

What Did The HMS Britannica Cost Taxpayers And Where Is She Now?

It will not likely surprise anyone that the yacht used to transport Royal Family members wasn’t cheap. In an episode of The Crown, fans will get an idea of the hefty cost when the show sees Prince Phillip (Matt Smith) contemplating the cost of restoring the boat – a bill of $19.5 million (£17 million) which would be footed mostly by taxpayers.

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With the bill for refurbishing the 50-year-old yacht nearing $20 million, the Conservative government decided, in 1994, to retire the Britannia by the end of the decade. Viscount Cranborne, House of Lords Hansard said in the speech to Parliament that the yacht underwent a major refit in the previous decade and then he addressed the huge cost of another refit that would “only prolong her life for a further five years,” adding, “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.”

Cranborne also indicated in his speech that the government might consider replacing HMY Britannia. Once the boat had been decommissioned, the Conservative party committed to replacing it should they be reelected. Be sure to stay up to speed on this and other royally related stories. Return here often for more Royal Family news and updates.

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