THE ONE PLACE SHE COULD TRULY RELAX

One of the defining images of the Queen’s reign is that of her struggling to hold back her tears on the day the Royal Yacht Britannia was decommissioned in 1997. It was clear the effect the loss of this much-loved vessel had on her, mainly because it was the only home she and Prince Philip had designed for themselves from scratch. Assisted by the interior designer and architect Hugh Casson, the duke supervised the technical features and the basic decor of the ship, while the Queen chose the fabrics and even the door knobs and lampshades. She once said, ‘Britannia is the one place I can truly relax.’ A highlight of the year was her cruise around the Western Isles of Scotland each summer. In a touching tribute the clocks on Britannia (above), which is now a visitor attraction in Edinburgh, have been stopped at 3.01pm, the time when she stepped off the ship for the last time.