Royal yacht Britannia

Royal yacht Britannia. | EFE

Jason MoorePalma04/05/2021 10:32
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Britain could soon get a new royal yacht. There have been rumours for more than a decade but on this occasion it looks like they could be true. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government is prepared to splash more than 200 million pounds on a new vessel for the royal family which would also be a floating world trade embassy for the new “global Britain.”

I remember seeing the royal yacht Britannia coming into Palma and it was certainly a sight to see. There is world interest in the British royal family, just look at the success of the Netflix series The Crown. If this “interest” can be harvested into new trade deals across the globe thanks to a new royal yacht then it will be money well spent.

Infact, the royal yacht should never have been scrapped in the first place and I am not talking as a royalist but as someone who can see the commercial benefits of such a vessel. Britannia was scrapped because she was too costly to maintain. This is complete nonsense, a new royal yacht would probably do more for Britain, the royal family and the Royal Navy than a frigate or a destroyer which is far more costly.

The Johnson government is seeking to relaunch ship building in Britain and the new royal yacht would be the centre piece of this new “revival...” Critics will say it is just a luxury which Britain or the royal family doesn’t need I would say that is a good investment which would help put Britain on the map in faraway shores.