Revealed: Why Philip banned girl sailors from the Royal Yacht
THE Duke of Edinburgh was instrumental in banning women from joining the crew of the Royal Yacht Britannia, according to an official document.
Ministers in Harold Wilson’s government were keen to allow Wrens – members of the Women’s Royal Naval Service – to serve in non-combatant roles on ships, and Britannia was seen as an ideal vessel to trial the initiative. But a National Archives file reveals the Duke believed it was too costly to provide separate facilities for women.
His opposition may have set back the Wrens’ cause by several years. No woman ever served among the naval crew on Britannia, and it wasn’t until 1993 that Wrens were integrated into the Royal Navy.
In a letter to a senior Ministry of Defence official dated November 11, 1975, former Britannia commander, Rear Admiral Hugh Janion, said: ‘I am informed by the Private Secretary to His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh that the latter considers that the appointment of Wrens to Britannia would mean an expensive major internal reconstruction. The proposal is not supported, therefore, by either the Palace or me.’
The Rear Admiral died in 1994. The Duke’s private secretary in 1975 was Commander William Willett, who is also now deceased, so it is not known whether he raised the issue with the Duke or just gave his own opinion. The commander had previously served on Britannia and perhaps knew the idea was unpopular with the crew.
Lord Hamilton of Epsom, the former Tory Armed Forces Minister who allowed women to serve at sea, told The Mail on Sunday: ‘I did not know about the objections from the Palace but I’m not totally surprised. We thought Britannia would be ideal for women to be deployed but there was a kick-back. A lot of the crew had served on the yacht for a long time and did not wish to be pushed aside by women.’
Philip’s opposition is ironic given that at the time, his daughter Princess Anne was Chief Commandant of the Wrens. On Wednesday, Anne is to open an exhibition in Portsmouth which chronicles the history of women in the Navy.
A Palace spokesman said it would not be appropriate to comment.