Fans of the Royal family or not there is always a fascination with their castles, palaces and this ship.
Decommissioned in 1997 as a working ship for the Queen, it’s clocks were stopped at 3 minutes past 3 when she stepped off the ship for the last time.
I thoroughly enjoyed the tour. As usual everything was well organised. No crowds to battle. Tickets are sold in entry times to stagger the people coming on board.
It took us first to the Captains bridge. All the important equipment for driving this ship! Beautiful shiny instruments now looking outdated.
We explored the crew’s areas. The mess for the officers, the seaman’s quarters.
Of course the Royal bedrooms were understated elegance. The Queen and Prince Phillip had adjacent rooms with single beds. Mmmm.
The only Royal bedroom with a double was the honeymoon suite. Charles apparently requested a double when he and Diana married. Unfortunately, it didn’t work for them.
The sundeck room was fun with its bar and games and great views.
We followed the numbered trail around the ship with our little audio handheld set pressed to our ears.
The officers’ dining room looked quite formal except for the wombat sitting in the fan ! Thrown there at one drinks session and never taken down.
As we moved around the ship there were lots of family photos. I think the Royal family loved being on board.
We saw the laundry, the hospital and the formal dining room room where many Presidents and Heads of State have been entertained
By this time Steve would have enjoyed a beer. So he sat at the Officers bar. Unfortunately these were fake beers.
The ship is docked at Leith – the port about 20 minutes by tram from the centre of Edinburgh. Such a great tram system. One tram does a route from Leith through the city and then out to the airport.
And a big applause for the buses. We have worked them out and you can get a tap-tap-cap fare where after 2 rides the fares are capped for the day at £4.80 in total. So we’ve been jumping on and off the buses. Great bonus with a sore knee.
Being in Leith had me singing the Proclaimers’ song ‘Sunshine on Leith’ – it’s beautiful and is one of my choir songs. This clip shows scenes in and around Leith filmed in a cafe there.
frans travel tales 
Wow, the boat looked luxurious. Bx🤩
LikeLike
The boat is like a time warp Fran!
LikeLike
Thanks Fran, The tour of the Royal Britannia was so interesting. I liked the laundry room and what looked like an operating theatre – everything you need for the royals to keep clean and healthy. The clip at the end was lovely too. x M
LikeLike