ROBERT HARDMAN: Royal ‘Yotties’ return to cheer King Charles’s emotional visit to the Yacht Britannia, nearly a quarter of a century after the Queen left in tears as she watched it being decommissioned
The clocks on board still stand at 15.01. It was the precise moment when the late Queen, accompanied by most of the Royal Family, left the Royal Yacht Britannia for the last time, closing a remarkable chapter in our maritime history.
That was back in December 1997, on a day which left the Queen in tears as she watched Britannia being decommissioned. Since then, the Yacht has become an award-winning tourist attraction at the Port of Leith, outside Edinburgh.
Last night, the King was back on board for his first visit since that sad farewell. He remembered the deck games, the picnics, the concert parties and, above all, the crew. Around 50 former Royal Yachtsmen, known as ‘Yotties’, had turned out for last night’s reception.
‘I just want to thank all you marvellous old Yotties for keeping this going,’ he told them as they all enjoyed a tot (or two) of rum up on the Verandah Deck. They responded with multiple three cheers and a distinctly unroyal ‘Oggy Oggy Oggy! Oi! Oi! Oi’ – much to the King’s amusement.
More than a quarter of a century after Britannia’s retirement, these former crewmates still gather on board for an annual week of unpaid maintenance work just to keep the Yacht looking as smart as ever.
The King returned to the Royal Yacht Britannia nearly a quarter of a century after the Queen left in tears as she watched it being decommissioned
Royal ‘Yotties’ cheered King Charles’s emotional return to the Yacht Britannia on Monday afternoon
Then Prince of Wales Charles leaves Gibraltar on the Royal Yacht Britannia with the late Princess Diana for their honeymoon cruise, 31st July 1981
The Royal Yacht Britannia carrying Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Princess Anne in Gibraltar in 1954
Around 50 former Royal Yachtsmen, known as ‘Yotties’, had turned out for last night’s reception
Last night’s visit was the King’s way of thanking them. ‘The galley’s still going? You haven’t lost your touch?’ he asked former leading cook Jeff Stoddard, 73.
‘I remember being fascinated by the ‘pschhh’ noise,’ he said as he looked inside the old laundry.
He was delighted to find the engine room still gleaming.
‘Those engines could run again right now,’ former chief petty officer David Rushforth, 73, told the King.
‘He kept saying how much he appreciated the way the working party still come back after all these years,’ said the Yacht’s last skipper, Commodore Anthony Morrow.
The King is in Edinburgh for a week of official engagements, notably tomorrow’s cathedral service where he will formally receive the Honours of Scotland.
As a five-year-old prince, he had been Britannia’s very first royal passenger, along with his sister, Princess Anne, when they sailed out to the Mediterranean in 1954 to meet their parents.
The King always loved life aboard the Yacht, whether on a major tour or cruising around the coast of Scotland.
The King always loved life aboard the Yacht, whether on a major tour or cruising around the coast of Scotland. Pictured: Staff stand to attention for the King’s arrival
Last night’s visit (left) was the King’s way of thanking the Yotties for taking care of the yacht after all this time. A young Charles, then Prince of Wales, is pictures with his sister, Princess Anne, and their parents Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip on-board the yacht in 1956 (right)
King Charles waves as he leaves the Royal Yacht Britannia – which was one of the most famous vessels in the world
The King was delighted to find the engine room still gleaming. Here, he is pictured being shown it by a royal yachtsman
Bob Downie, chief executive of the Royal Yacht Britannia (L) with King Charles during a tour of the Royal Yacht Britannia
Members of the Royal Yacht Britannia toast King Charles III during a tour of the Royal Yacht Britannia
A piper plays a lament piper aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia, moored in Leith, Edinburgh, ahead of the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on September 19, 2022
Britannia was one of the most famous vessels in the world – and she saw most of it, too, during 43 years and more than a million miles at sea. In wartime, she was supposed to be a hospital ship (hence her huge laundry and operating theatre). In peacetime, she would be a palace-cum-embassy.
The Royal Family loved to join in the weekly quiz competition and even the concert parties, performing a sketch or a song. Charles took part in plenty.
Britannia would also go on to become a very effective showroom for British business, generating billions through commercial events.
Finally, in 1997, the great voyage was over. The then-prince was invited to address the farewell dinner. It was the shortest speech of his life.
‘I just want to get blindly, madly drunk,’ he said, and sat down to thunderous applause. No further explanation was needed. Last night, you could understand why.
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