New Britannia ‘would serve as a symbol of our national esteem’
A NEW royal yacht Britannia could boost the country’s links with the world and become once again a “majestic symbol of national esteem”, the director of The Royal Commonwealth Society has said.
In an article for The Telegraph’s website, Michael Lake has declared that a new vessel would be a “smart” way to strengthen ties with Commonwealth countries after Brexit.
His intervention is a boost for those backing the campaign for a new Britannia – including this newspaper – as the country redefines its global image. Calls have been growing for the Government to create a special commission to look into creating another vessel in recent months.
The original was decommissioned in the Nineties and plans to replace it were scrapped shortly after Tony Blair took power in 1997.
The Royal Commonwealth Society, founded in 1868, promotes the values of the Commonwealth’s 52 members.
The Queen is the patron of the society, though Mr Lake said he was expressing his views on Britannia in a personal capacity.
Mr Lake writes in his article that the coming years are “a golden moment for the United Kingdom to shape a future as a global and forceful partner in the broadest sense”. He adds: “In years gone by the United Kingdom employed a floating ambassador in the form of HMY Britannia.
“It its 44 years of service the yacht was a majestic symbol of national esteem and an iconic, photogenic focus for what would now be described as soft power.
“Britannia will always be connected with images of the Royal family and of Her Majesty in particular, but to identify the yacht as some sort of floating palace of convenience completely misses the point.
“The passages of the Britannia and the ports she visited resulted in goodwill, business opportunities, influence and a reminder of the United Kingdom as a partner of choice.”
Mr Lake adds: “Relish it or regret it, this is no time for uncertainty or for inactivity. It will be crucial for the country to show its wares and talents to the best advantage in a competitive world.”
In a separate development, RollsRoyce has said it is ready and willing to design a new Britannia if it gets the goahead from ministers.
The engineering group told The Daily Telegraph that it was “ideally placed” to draw up plans for the vessel.
Rolls-Royce has specially designed more than 1,000 vessels including superyachts which are fit for some of the “harshest environments on the planet”.
A spokesman for the company told this newspaper: “Rolls-Royce is wellplaced to assist if the Government decides that a new version of HMY Britannia is required to support the country’s trade and diplomatic efforts overseas.
“If the decision is taken that Britain needs such a vessel, we would be ideally placed to help make it a ship worthy of the name Britannia.”
The spokesman added the firm has “decades of experience in powering and equipping some of the most advanced ships on the planet”.
Earlier this year Boris Johnson, the Foreign Secretary, appealed for funds for a new royal yacht at a gathering of Tory donors during the Conservative Party’s annual conference in Birmingham.