Royal Yacht smashes all records in a great year

Once based in Portsmouth, it was hoped the renowned ship would remain in the city as a tourist attraction.

Despite efforts to keep her here and a recent failed bid to move Britannia back to Portsmouth, the vessel currently resides in Edinburgh.

Since opening her doors to the public in 1998, after being decommissioned in Portsmouth in 1997, she has now recorded the highest number of visitors ever, with 390,482 tourists stepping onboard.

Bob Downie, chief executive of The Royal Yacht Britannia said: ‘Last year was a phenomenally busy year and it’s a great tribute to the professionalism of our staff that we also retained our position as Scotland’s Best Visitor Attraction for a record 12th year in a row.’

More than 5.6 million people have now visited the vessel.

It was once the home of the royal family when the Queen was on state visits overseas. It has hosted top diplomats from across the globe.