Related News
Proposal to revive royal yacht draws fans, foes
Print Edition
THE UK may be sailing into an uncertain future outside the European Union, but if campaigners have their way, Britannia will rule the waves again.
A Conservative lawmaker and the Daily Telegraph newspaper are proposing to recommission the royal yacht Britannia, former berth of Queen Elizabeth II, and send it around the world as a floating trade mission.
The yacht was retired in 1997, and is now a tourist attraction moored in Edinburgh.
Legislator Jake Berry says it should either be brought back into service or a new yacht should be built as “a small floating embassy” for Britain.
“I think it would be a huge beacon of hope for our country,” Berry said yesterday.
Berry said the vessel could help bring in “billions of pounds’ worth of trade deals.” Anticipating that some will label his idea a vanity project, he said it should be funded by donations, rather than taxpayers.
Former Foreign Secretary William Hague has backed Berry’s proposal, saying that when he was in government he found that no one, however wealthy or powerful, could resist an invitation onto the royal yacht.
“Leaving the EU means we need to communicate the advantages and attractions of our country more than ever,” Hague wrote in the Telegraph. “That will take a lot more than a yacht, but we need all the reach and profile that we can get.”
Others, however, said bringing back a symbol of empire and monarchy would send the wrong signals about Britain to the world. “Britannia was always a wisp of denial because, essentially, she sailed through imperial decline,” wrote columnist Tanya Gold in yesterday’s Guardian newspaper. “Her power was cosmetic. She floated on nostalgia.”
Launched in 1953, Britannia was the last in three centuries of royal yachts, a floating monument to a nation that built an empire on naval power, an empire it was then in the process of losing.
The 123-meter yacht traveled more than 1.6 million kilometers as transport for royal visits and vacations, a reception venue for dignitaries and the honeymoon vessel for royal couples including Prince Charles and Princess Diana.
Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May has not backed the idea, though when asked about it she said she recognized Britain’s “proud heritage” as a trading nation.
Berry said his proposal was in tune with May’s calls to make the best of Britain’s EU exit.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
