American reacts to Queen Elizabeth II’s Royal Yacht Britannia
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- čas přidán 9. 04. 2024
- Thank you for watching me, a humble American, react to Queen Elizabeth II’s Royal Yacht Britannia
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Our great Queen was incredibly stoic. She was made of very stern stuff. An iron fist in the softest velvet glove.
Even when someone was trying to shoot her at the Trooping of the Colour, she quietened her horse and carried on with the ceremony as if nothing had happened! All this while trussed up in a riding habit and riding side-saddle.
We miss her so much. 🤩🏴🇬🇧🤩
I wouldn't describe the Queen as being "trussed up in a riding habit and riding sidesaddle" ... Riding habits are recognised as elegant riding apparel, not "trussed up" in them as though it'd be uncomfortable or ungainly to wear!!
Also, sidesaddles are secure, stylish and on a horse (or pony) trained to wear one, and respond to the aids given in a slightly different way, the Queen (an excellent horsewoman, used to riding by sidesaddle for official ceremonies and astride, for personal leisure), was easily in control of 'Burmese' on that (or any similar 'startled mare') occasion, which would've been less likely if she had felt "trussed up" ('like a turkey on a spit'!!)
Burmese, by the way, was such a favourite of Her Majesty, that the mare was buried at Windsor, to be nearby.
R.I P. Burmese... &
R.I.P HM Queen Elizabeth II (1926 - 2022)
& R.I.P. HRH Prince Philip. (1921 - 2021)
I was on a boat tour of Portsmouth harbour when Britannia came in. The band of the Royal Marines was playing, the little boat we were on saluted by lowering its Jack mast and Britannia returned the salute. It is one of my most vivid memories of my childhood. It still gives me tingles to think about it.
When I was about 8 years old, my grandmother was the Lord Mayor of Cardiff (capital of Wales) and my mother was the Lady Mayoress. They had lunch on the yacht with the Queen and the Duke. My grandmother and mother were wearing the gold chains signifying their office (very big, very fancy, necklaces - rapper’s chains have got nothing on them) and neither of them could swim. As they were boarding the duke was joking that if they fell in, he didn’t know whether he should dive in and save them or the chains 🤔😁😁
wow!
Now that is just typically the Duke of Edinburgh. I so miss him. It's been three years now since his death.
@@dorisschneider-coutandin9965Yes, I think sometimes his sense of humour was misunderstood.
I always adored his very dry kind of humour!
Still miss our late Queen - she was so sensible and stoic.
You can visit the yacht and have tea on board. It is docked in Edinburgh.
No, it wasn't the ONLY time QEII shed a tear in public. but these were very rare, as she was raised at a time when it would have been considered a scandal for her to show emotion in public. She was seen wiping a tear from her eyes as she sat alone during her husband, Prince Philip's funeral; and pictured by The Daily Mail (a tabloid newspaper) with watery eyes as she left Dunblane Cathedral with her daughter, The Princess Royal, having just attended the specially-arranged memorial service there in the aftermath of the only school shooting the UK has ever experienced, in 1997. She is also said to have not gone to Aberfan immediately after the landslide in 1966, that buried 113 children within their school, because she didn't want to steal the limelight from their families - and then regretted it for the rest of her life, as she made several official and numerous private visits to their graves, throughout the rest of her reign. She was, after all, the mother of young children herself, at that time.
She was a constant in our lives , I'd describe our late queen as a comforting blanket wrapped around our nation . She was dutiful to the very end very much missed . 😊
A lot of European and especially British luxury of that time can be quite subtle. Super smooth finishes, nice to the touch materials, drawers that open and close with a satisfying feel and sound. Modest and simple but probably very expensive to make.
The Queen and Philip weren’t lavish they knew the public paid. People go to the palaces and are struck by how cold, severe and uncomfortable the rooms are were the Queen and Philip lived. I think this is probably what shocked Harry’s wife Megain, it wasn’t hot running servants you could treat like slaves, it wasn’t a Hollywood A list celebrity lifestyle and duty and a selfish work ethic are a must. The royals are really country people spend their free time in tweeds and wellies with horses and dogs in the country side. They love walking, hunting, fishing just outdoor people.
@@jemmajames6719 Yes, didn't Liz II enlist as an army truck mechanic during WWII? But I'm sure it's still lasting craftsmanship that is pleasing to the touch, eye and ears.
The Queen shed s tear a few times after that but was very discreet.
You can tour Brittania at Leith Docks in Edinburgh. Her permanent home now.
The Britannia is moored alongside the Ocean Terminal in the Port of Leith, Edinburgh. Yes there are audio tours that take you through 5 decks of the ship. There's also a tearoom for light refreshments. The Port of Leith is around 17mins from Edinburgh city centre ( by tram).
A really beautiful ship. I like how cheerful and happy the late royal couple were there together as they danced and laughed.🙂🌹
1953 was still early days for jet planes and more luxury at a slower pace is with a ship.
Sometimes the queen [or other royal] would meet up with the RY Britannia after flying and use it to tour islands or countries close together with harbours [Australia/New Zealand] and 'Fly the Flag'.
You could also host parties on board abroad.
Britania was a state yatch for the monarch to visit other countries and host foreign heads of state.
It was used privately also.. it was a floating representation of Britain :on duty; a mini royal floating palace/hotel. Hosting dinners and parties to other countries.
The queen or royal family used the yatch especially on long tours of the commonwealth.. otherwise it was many seperate airline flights..
It was a state yatch not the queens personal vesel.. a state business yatch
No it's not the first or only time that the late Queen cried in public. She also apparently cried during a visit to Aberfan after a very terrible mining disaster in 1966 which killed almost all of the school children in that town. The Queen was slow to visit after this disaster not because she was unmoved by it but because she felt that there was no protocol for the monarch to do so at the time. She was persuaded to go a little later, Sir William Heseltine, who served in the royal press office at the time, revealed in the documentary Elizabeth: Our Queen. "I think she felt in hindsight that she might have gone there a little earlier.''
I remember it well. We packed up a lot of my toys and sent them to the surviving children.
Brings back a few memories . Always interesting to work on .
I did the tour of the Royal Yacht Britannia around 2010. It was fascinating, I was surprised at its relatively small size, but it was certainly an ocean going vessel having travelled over 1 million nautical miles. You can pretty well see everything on Britannia from the staterooms to the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh's bedrooms and even the engine room with all its gleaming brass and steel pistons. It entered service in 1954 so it was pretty old technology and you could see why she needed to be retired. It was a great and memorable tour.
Britannia was powered by two steam turbines. No pistons.
A lesser known fact, that THV Patricia was also used by Her Majesty when Britania was not in use. She also has state rooms.
It may not be the only time she cried in public, I can think of many sad announcements over the years, including the death of her father, the destruction of Windsor Castle in a fire, the death of her mother and many other events.
Slightly off-topic, this 8th April marked the 120th Anniversary of the Franco-British "Entente Cordiale" Treaty that put an end to centuries of conflicts and wars between those "enemy brothers".
The event was celebrated by both countries swapping their elite army corps to ensure the changing of the guard of their respective Heads of State: the British saw the French Garde Républicaine in Buckingham Palace, whilst the French saw the Royal Guards at the Elysée Palace.
Watch on YT: "Watch the French-British guard ceremony on Entente Cordiale anniversary" -
Associated Press
When I toured the Royal Yacht Britannia I too was struck by the modest royal bedrooms and especially the beds. Royals and British Aristocracy have traditionally always had separate, but adjoining bedrooms even in castles, palaces and stately homes allowing them privacy alongside the opportunity to 'get together' when they so desired. Land based beds were, of course wider than the 3 foot beds on Britannia. The late Queen was famously modest in her private day to day living. If you visit The National Railway Museum in York you can see all the Royal trains - all of them from the Victorian to Edwardian era's were extremely opulent. By contrast the Royal train used by HM Queen Elizabeth II was very plain with simple furnishings and in the sitting room a simple 1960s style two bar electric fire. Our late Queen was well known to keep her breakfast cereals in Tupperware container and always insisted on doing her own washing up, by hand, during stays at Balmoral Castle in Scotland for their annual summer holidays. Prince Philip was in charge of the barbecues!
Her Majesty was raised with Victorian standards that dictated one should never show one's sad emotions in public....they should be reserved for the privacy of your private rooms. My sisters and I were raised in the same manner. I remember my mother, in 1952, placing the newspaper showing the famous photograph of 'The Three Queens', Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Elizabeth, the new Queen Mum, and Dowager Queen Mary, standing on the platform of King's Cross Station, awaiting the arrival of the train bearing King George VI's coffin. Despite the three Queens wearing mourning weeds including black veils, it was possible to see through them and notice not one of the three Queens was shedding tears. Mother then said, pointing to the photograph, 'Despite them losing a father, husband and son, they are maintaining their dignity and reserving outward signs of grief for private moments. You must do the same throughout your lives, no matter how much pain you feel.' I think one would call it being stoic. Thus, throughout our lives, my sisters and I have always been stoic in public and grieved in private. It is just how we were raised. Chimo
I'm not entirely in favour of this British stiff upper lip. I think it can be very harmful.
@@marieparker3822 You may be correct when it comes to certain people; however, I see little benefit in the histrionics demonstrated by those who go to the extreme of loudly wailing, feigning fainting, beating their chests, and/or throwing themselves against family or friends. Tears are one thing, the rest should remain private. Chimo
@@marieparker3822why?
Well, previous to Britannia, the battleship HMS Vanguard was used for the royal tours of South Africa and Australia and New Zealand in 1947 and 1948.
When the Royal Yacht was used, it was under naval protection for the entire trip. There were a number of warships/submarines within about 10 minutes sailing time of the yacht at all times. Quite often, the yacht would be prepositioned for a trip, she would fly to the destination and use the yacht for accommodation/formal meetings with leaders/dinners etc where possible. The crew were for the most part ‘invisible’. Cleaning of the ship occurred after the Royal Family has retired, the crew were required to wear rubber soled tennis shoes and worked in silence, no talking and certainly no shouting. Crew, when off duty, remained in the crews quarters/mess. They were also restricted from talking to the Royal Family. The only time the would speak directly to one of the Royals was in response to a direct question, they would not initiate the conversation. One thing they didn’t show was the garage for the Rolls Royce , it was concealed behind a panel on the main deck, there was only a few inches all round space. When you do the tour they tell you a few amusing anecdotes. Apparently at a state dinner and reception with the Commonwealth Heads of State, it was announced the Queen was retiring and everyone stood and faced her. As she was leaving the room a large wave hit the yacht which caused everyone to steady themselves grabbing any fixed object they could reach. The Queen apparently grabbed a pole in the middle of the room supporting the upper decks, did a complete 360 round the pole going ‘wheeeeeee’ and then left the room as if nothing had happened.
The yacht I built and worked on, Leander G, used to work closely with Britannia. After Britannia was mothballed, the Royal family used us quite often afterwards.
I am not surprised that the furnishings are traditional and modest, the Royal Family grew up understanding the deprivations of 1930s and shared the Rationing of the 1940s! The Royal Yacht was used for the private family times, and safer international travel! The Queen was obviously sad when she had to farewell her only really private place, and it's memories! Her husband, Prince Phillip, was an ex navy man and loved the sea! 😪 There will never be another Royal Yacht, the upkeep of the palaces, and the employees they must have, are already a massive burden! 🤔
Before Britannia was commissioned, Royal tours were done by the Royal Navy's last Battleship HMS Vanguard, there's no Royal Yacht since 1997, and if they fly anywhere on state visits they use "The Queens Flight RAF", a fleet of small passenger jets based at RAF Northolt, London.
Iv got a great true story about this yacht. 2 members of staff were having a argument. The queen mother enterd the room they were in and said " i thoucht i was the only queen on this ship". Classic.
It was crule when this was taken away from them, it was just the new govormet being giys.
While HMY Britannia was designated the royal yacht, it actually served far more time as a floating trade and diplomacy vessel - a way of promoting the UK overseas. It was also designed to be easily converted into a hospital ship in times of conflict. While comfortable, it wasn't gaudily luxurious. The two times I attended functions on board, it reminded me of taking drinks in the headmaster's study on Friday evenings, rather than at a swanky Park Lane hotel.
HMY Britannia was part of the Royal Navy and crewed by RN sailors and when on state . official visits a Royal Marines Band. Its other roll was as a hospiral ship. There are videos that show and explain more.
Got to go on Britannia when we were in England. It’s quite a comfy ship, remembering that they had the whole ship to themselves:) even the servants and sailors spaces were ok considering.
Thanks for your respect shown to our former Queen
Yes, the Britannia's last official voyage was indeed to carry the then Prince of Wales (Charles) to Hongkong and back. The problem was that the ship's repair and maintenance costs piled up in the 1990's and it became more and more expensive to do necessary upkeeping, as some parts really, really were old and not all of them worth to replace, or being replaceable at all. The original plan was indeed to have a new royal yacht build, this came to a rather abrupt stopp when the Labour party and Prime Minister Tony Blair came to power in - you guessed it - 1997. Instead, the government "ordered" the decommissioning of the Britannia, to the great sadness of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Late Royal Highness The Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh. Much of the layout and also the design of the salons and the private quarters was done by the Duke of Edinburgh back in the day. He was a Naval Officer and took keen interest in the ship's whole design. Hence, the rooms turned out rather modest, as the Duke was known for his "no frills" attitude and his sense of practicality. You would be surprised that - although blessed with famous royal residences like Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle - the private rooms of the British monarchs (well, at least since Queen Elizabeth II and now also King Charles, but I also suspect that already King George VI lived quite low key) are kept very simple. Only the so called "State Rooms or State Apartments" are all glitz and glamour and speak of grandeur with famous paintings of immeasurable value on the walls, with gold stucco, red velvet and brocade fabrics, antique furniture, and whatever else you'd imagine belonging into a royal palace. The British Royal Family does not live an over-the-top ostentatious life, but many think they do. They do not like tacky, billionaire style, off-showing displays of wealth. This is distinguished old money style, and often nouveau riche, or billionaire/celebrity style is even frowned upon. The Britannia shows exactly this difference!
The last 4 sentences show the difference that that Prince Harry`s new wife would totally misunderstand.
@@Jill-mh2wn Exactly. She never knew, or learned about, the difference.
@@dorisschneider-coutandin9965 She will never understand any aspect of life that did not involve HAVING, Spending and being seen to be totally ostentatious .
That is why she is totally unsuited for any part in British society.
The Britania is the only place she designed the interior of….all the palaces are filled with old beautiful things, but this is modern and comfortable and PRIVATE .She loved it.
This yacht paid for itself many times over, as on every trip, the Royal Family always brought along business leaders, and whatever harbour they reached, businessmen would want to come on the Queen's Yacht and meet all the British businessmen and women! Many deals were made that brought in billions to the UK!
The ship evacuated over 1,000 refugees from the civil war in Aden in 1986. I remember seeing a video (hope someone can find the link) of someone who served on that day, Apparently they were exchanging cigarettes from Britannia with the rebels on the beach to be able to get more people on to the ship. When Britannia entered port to unload the refugees the royal marine band blasted 'Rule Britannia' out as load as it could.
Ryan, what to you mean about the bed being modest? That is actually a Queen sized bed.
She had a tough year in 97 and losing her favourite place with so many memories tipped her over the edge. Remember just months before Diana died and the U.K. turned on The Queen for not saying anything. To have the public turn against her and then lose her favourite place was too much for her. She never even cried when her mother died or sister died.
It's interesting that the RY Britannia was launched in the same year as me...
It was deemed too expensive to build another yacht generally, not to recycle it but build a new one.
The Queen always said she didn't want to show emotion in public.
There's no longer an official royal yacht - Britannia was the last one. A shame, as it was a floating ambassador for the UK, like a moving palace.
The Queen certainly did fly, but in order to be as frugal as possible she would take commercial flights. The first class cabin may be turned over to Royal use. The other passengers would probably be unaware who they were flying with.
Who wants to see someone crying all the time at sad events, when they are there to boost spirits, be a rock to the nation and sympathise with those involved and the nation not to court sympathy or take the focus of a sad event.
There was a whole other story behind Britannia. It was also meant to be a hospital ship and was actually used for that purpose. It would have also been The Queen's ultimate shelter in case of a nuclear war sailing around the cost of the UK or another Commonwealth country in case central London had been erased. With the British government and parliament eliminated, as long as the Sovereign could be kept alive, the UK would have survived. This scenario, thankfully, has never had to be put to the test though.
No Ryan, it said the only time she cried IN PUBLIC, not the only time she cried. How often have you seen ambassadors, presidents, kings or prime ministers cry while on duty and in front of cameras? Not very often I imagine. Listen up.
I was annoying that the then Prime Minister refused to renew the yacht because it was actually a money earner . While on state visits the Queen would host dinners and parties not just for Presidents and Prime Ministers etc but also business people and other officials to do business and trade deals etc .
It’s called class.
There's also the royal plane,and better flashier is the Royal trains
No Ryan, that was the only time she cried IN PUBLIC. No doubt she cried privately many more times.
No new yacht Unfortunately
1997 is seen as the end of empire
So, no money for an ashtray?
It wasn't too expensive to recycle the metal from Brittania ,the government wouldn't fund the building of a new Royal Yacht ❤ .
That is so not true to say its only time she shed a tear in public. Maybe the most obvious but not the only time
It's not in use enymore they took it off her.
Despite being the richest woman in the world she was very frugal and hated waste. Old money doesn't need to flex. If you need to flex you're gauche and insecure.
YACHT is pronounced YOT.
You don't " go tour" something ! You " go on a tour of" something.
The only thing it lacked was a small prison cell to put Tony Blair in.
Not everyone is obsessed about the royal family. France had the right idea. I can't stand them.
No, Britannia was decommissioned as an act of petty spite to punish the Royal Family.
Americans appear to obtain their knowledge of any subject by referring to Google. How sad.
Funny that I had no interest at all in visiting the Brittania when I was in Edinburgh. Royal excess makes me cringe.
I was disappointed when I visited the Royal Yacht, I thought it was going to be opulent and audacious. Instead it was quite reserved and frugal in places. The best part of the tour was the delicious fudge they make onboard.