Britannia rules the waves in Edinburgh
If royalty is your thing, a visit to the Royal Yacht Britannia will float your boat. The five-star visitor attraction has been rated Scotland's best visitor attraction by VisitScotland for the past seven years and earlier this year was named TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice No.1 British attraction.
It's easy to see why - this stunning piece of floating history has been immaculately preserved. And, as I start my tour on the second floor of Edinburgh's Ocean Terminal shopping centre in Leith, I'm impressed by the warm welcome I receive from the friendly staff.
The tour begins at the original wheelhouse, where I collect my audio handset to guide me through the yacht. It is available in 27 languages and there is a children's version in English. There is also a British sign-language tablet for visitors with hearing difficulties.
The vessel was the official royal yacht from 1953, when it was launched from the John Brown & Company shipyard in Clydebank, on the west coast of Scotland, until it was decommissioned in Portsmouth in 1997.
For 44 years it served the royal family, travelling more than one million miles and calling at more than 600 ports in 135 countries.
The yacht paid its first visit to Australia in 1956, when it set off on its first world tour. Over the following 110 days, it covered 63,648km with stops including the Seychelles, Sri Lanka (then Ceylon), what was then Malaya, New Guinea and Australia, where Prince Philip opened the Olympic Games in Melbourne. During the silver jubilee in 1977, the Queen travelled on Britannia and visited every Australian State during a three-week tour. And in 1988, she took part in the bicentenary celebrations, travelling extensively across the country and opening the new Parliament House in Canberra.
When the yacht was decommissioned, several cities bid to permanently dock Britannia, including Glasgow, Manchester, Portsmouth and London. Edinburgh received the honour and in 1998 the boat was permanently berthed at the waterfront shopping centre, 3km from the city centre.
Arriving at the bridge, I peer over the side and see Bloodhound, the classic 1930s ocean-racing yacht owned by the Queen and Prince Philip in the 1960s, on which Prince Charles and Princess Anne learnt to sail. It was purchased by the Royal Yacht Britannia Trust in 2010.
I pass a Rolls Royce Phantom V which has been squeezed into the yacht's shelter deck and can be viewed through a glass screen. The bumpers on the classic claret- and-black car had to be removed to fit into the small space when it was loaned to the visitor attraction by owners Bentley Motors Ltd. The car was first delivered to Her Majesty in May 1960 and was a state car until 1978.
Inside the ship, I explore the crews' quarters and the royal apartments. The Queen and Prince Philip worked closely with interior designer Sir Hugh Casson to create a functional Royal Navy vessel and a sumptuous royal residence. The 1950s decor is reminiscent of an elegant country home, with floral chintz soft furnishings, polished mahogany and luxurious velvet drapes. About 95 per cent of the items on display are the original artefacts on loan from the Royal Collection.
The next stops are the Queen's and Prince Philip's bedrooms, which can be viewed behind a glass panel. They are small, but the decor is luxurious and furnished with everything a travelling monarch might need.
When Prince Charles married Diana in 1981, all beds on Britannia were singles. He tried to get their ill-fated marriage off to a good start by arranging for a double bed to be taken aboard for their honeymoon around the Mediterranean.
Britannia was a ship of two halves. The ship's 20 officers and 220 yachtsmen lived at the front of the ship and worked under unusual constraints. To avoid disturbing the royals in the rear half, all crew wore white-soled plimsolls, shouting and running was forbidden, and orders were communicated by hand signals.
On the Queen's state visits, she would take along an additional 45 staff, among them a hairdresser, chauffeur and surgeon. The five tons of luggage would include the Queen's jewels and Malvern mineral water for making Her Majesty's tea.
The yacht was used to entertain many dignitaries, including Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and Boris Yeltsin. The guests were entertained in the plush state dining room, which can now be hired for private functions - I can imagine myself as one of 96 guests sitting round the grand dining table. The walls of the room are lined with many exotic gifts presented to the Queen as she travelled the world.
As I reach the top deck, originally used by the royal family for cocktail parties and receptions, I discover the addition of the Royal Deck Tea Room with stunning views over the Firth of Forth. The room is tastefully set with sparkling silver teapots, pristine white china and table linen, and even a grand piano.
I've worked up quite an appetite - the tomato and pesto soup and Ayrshire oak-smoked salmon sandwiches hit the spot, and the miniature scones and pot of tea are truly fit for a queen.
FACT FILE
An adult ticket for the Royal Yacht Britannia costs £12.75 ($23), with seniors, student, child and family discounts available. Children under-5 are free. Allow 2-3 hours for the full tour, but an hour is enough time to tour the State apartments and the crew's quarters. royalyachtbritannia.co.uk.
From Edinburgh city centre, take Lothian Bus services 11, 22 or 35 to Ocean Terminal. Alternatively, Majestic Tour buses depart from St Andrew Square. Show your bus ticket for 10 per cent off Britannia admission. edinburghtour.com.
For more days out in Scotland, go to visitscotland.com.
Qatar Airways departs at 11.30pm from Perth seven days a week, arriving in Doha at 5.50am. The Doha-Edinburgh service departs Fri-Mon and Wed at 8am, arriving in Edinburgh at 1.15pm. qatarairways.com.
Leyanne Baillie was a guest of VisitScotland and Qatar Airways.
