Prince Philip: New yacht named after the Duke of Edinburgh to be commissioned ‘within weeks’
Royal Yacht #RoyalYacht
A new yacht named after Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, is to be commissioned by the government following his death last month.
The Telegraph has reported that the yacht will be a successor to the Royal Yacht Britannia, which was decommissioned in 1997, and could cost as much as £200 million.
It is expected that Prime Minister Boris Johnson will announce the news “within weeks”, with a spokesperson from Downing Street saying: “The prime minister has an exciting vision for shipbuilding in this country and is committed to making the UK a shipbuilding superpower.
“We are always looking for new ways to promote global Britain around the world, driving investment back to the UK and delivering value for money for the British people.”
The Duke of Edinburgh was Lord High Admiral for the decade before his death on April 9, 2021, and during the Second World War he served in the Royal Navy.
READ MORE: Royal Yacht Britannia through the years: We have raided our archives for photos of this magnificent yacht
MPs are calling for the vessel to be built in the UK, with conservative MP Craig McKinlay saying: “A new national flagship proudly bearing the name of Prince Philip can be no better memorial to this much-loved and respected man.
“My latest joint letter signed by fellow MPs and peers may have helped get this project over the line. I am overjoyed.”
Chairman of the Northern Research Group of MPs, Jake Berry, has called for the new vessel to be built on Merseyside by Cammell Laird.
Since being decommissioned, the Royal Yacht Britannia has been berthed in Leith, Edinburgh and used as a tourist attraction, although it was closed for the majority of 2020 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
A message from the Editor:
Thank you for reading this article. We’re more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.
If you haven’t already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.