The Queen’s Ship
Moored securely at the quay in Edinburgh Harbour lies the pride of British seafaring: the Royal Yacht. The clocks on the ‘Britannia’ still show 15:01 today: this is the time at which Queen Elizabeth II disembarked for the last time on 11 December 1997. It marked the end of more than four decades of glorious service for the yacht.
Nowhere else can one get so close to the Queen’s private life as here. For the ship was not only a state yacht, but also the Queen’s private retreat – something like a floating holiday home.
Every May, around 60 former royal sailors – the ‘Yotties’, the Royal Yachtsmen – return to the ‘Britannia’ for a week. Yotties’ Week is a reunion among friends for the sailors – and with their favourite ship. The former sailors help with painting, cleaning and maintaining the yacht. Their stories about their days with the royal family on board offer a glimpse into a life caught between ritual and privacy.
The royals lived in luxury on the ‘Britannia’. The Royal Yachtsmen, on the other hand, had only simple quarters. Nevertheless, the Yotties still regard it as a great privilege to have served the Queen so directly. With their Yotties’ Week, they celebrate themselves, the ‘Britannia’ and the Queen.
