Duke of Edinburgh blasts move to axe Royal Yacht Britannia
The Duke of Edinburgh has criticised the decision to decommission the Royal Yacht Britannia, which was taken out of service after 43 years in 1997.
Interviewed by broadcaster Alan Titchmarsh to mark his 90th birthday, the duke is asked what his feelings were when the yacht - now a tourist attraction in Leith - was decommissioned.
He answered: "Sad."
Asked if he thought it was the right thing to do, he replied: "No."
He added: "She should have had her steam turbines taken out and diesel engines put in. She was as sound as a bell and she could have gone on for another 50 years."
During its four decades of service, Britannia carried the Queen and the Royal Family around the world on 968 official voyages. It travelled 1,087,623 nautical miles, calling at more than 600 ports in 135 countries.
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