HMY Britannia at her permanent position in Leith near Edinburgh

The Queen (or King) of England have had royal yachts from a long time (since 1660, with the restoration of the monarchy, there have been 83 such ships to bear the royal name). The ship was commissioned in 1954, taking an inaugural journey to Malta in April of the same year, but not carrying the Queen or Prince Philip, instead carrying Prince Charles and Princess Anne, with the Queen setting foot on the ship on the return journey on 1st May 1954. The ship has been used for a number of ceremonial occasions with leaders of other countries also stepping foot on the ship, as well as being used for the honeymoon of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. The ship was decommissioned in 1997 and there has been no replacement ever since, and it is unlikely that there will be, due to public relations impact of building another ship of this cost, with the cost coming from the British Government.

The pier at Leith where the royal yacht, HMY Britannia is berthed (View more images here)

Now the yacht is berthed at the port of Leith near Scotland, and offers tourists a chance to view many sections of the ship, including the bedroom of the queen (through a glass partition), many of the official dining and state rooms, and for a different touch, the sleeping quarters of the men manning the ship. A number of people take the tour, and it is part of many of the tour packages of Edinburgh.

The royal racing yacht, the Bloodhound, berthed next to the HMY Britannia (more photos here)

Tourists who come to see the HMY Britannia can also get to see the royal racing yacht, the Bloodhound. It was built in 1936 and has been used in the past by many of the royals (including Prince Charles) to learn how to sail. Now, it is available for charter. Berthed next to HMY Britannia, the racing yacht looks much smaller, but sleeker.