Ask anyone the name of our last Royal Yacht and the majority will tell you Britannia, many of them with a recollection of the Yacht herself, so much was she a part of British life. Ask those same folk the name of Britannia’s predecessor and you will, more likely than not, be met with a puzzled glance, such is the obscurity of H.M.Y. Victoria & Albert III.
That obscurity is now addressed. The career of Queen Victoria’s last Royal Yacht is chronicled in great detail, from conception in the late 1890s through nearly half a century of service to her final demolition. Published primarily as a matter of record, just three hundred numbered copies have been produced to meet the needs of museums and archives, organisations, enthusiasts and individuals by means of a beautifully produced volume, which is sure to become a rare and precious heirloom.
Queen Victoria and her family, her Government Ministers and her Admirals all had their opinions about a new Royal Yacht. The visits of Kings and Queens and Heads of State as either hosts or guests on board during the Yacht’s lifetime, from the ill-fated Tsar Nicholas II of Russia to our present Queen Elizabeth II when a child, are all recorded here in this engrossing account.
Foreword by H.R.H. The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh K.G. K.T.
Introduction by Admiral the Rt. Hon. Lord West of Spithead G.C.B. D.S.C. P.C.
‘This is an outstanding book and I would very highly recommend it.’
Nigel Lawrence, Editor, Shipping Today & Yesterday
‘Definitely the gold standard for the genre.’
Michael Pocock, Maritime Quest USA
