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£250m design for King Charles’ scrapped superyacht unveiled

London-based firm reveals their proposal for now-scrapped project, article bookmarked.

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The £250m design for King Charles’ superyacht that was scrapped last year has been unveiled.

Plans for the 125-metre Royal Yacht Britannia were previously confidential but have now been published by London-based firm Vitruvius Yachts.

The superyacht was initially set to sail by 2025, but in October last year it was reported chancellor Jeremy Hunt was planning on scrapping the plans as part of a package of spending cuts.

The concept for the yacht – initially put forward by Boris Johnson - was described as being a “celebration of British society and technology in a vessel designed for the people but fit for a king”.

Vitruvius said a key feature was a focus on sustainable power. The “highly efficient” hull design would have minimised fuel consumption and focused on emerging green technology, they said.

The interior’s design made use of recycled materials and would have had a flexible deck and interior design that could switch between exhibition showcase or floating embassy, with the yacht firm saying it is “suitable for everyone from VVIPs to schoolchildren and the disabled".

The previous Royal Yacht Britannia - used by the royal family since 1954 - had visitors including Dwight D. Eisenhower, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton. Famously, Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales, took their honeymoon cruise on Britannia in 1981.

The design was put together by Team FestivAl, a collaboration between Vitruvius Yachts, Zaha Hadid Architects, and aluminium ship and yacht specialists Ocea.

The vessel would have featured an energy-agnostic propulsion system based on efficient pod drives, which could have enabled geostationary position-keeping without damaging sensitive seabeds with an anchor, the company said.

Vitrivius Yachts added: “In developing the design, the essence of Britishness takes centre stage through a Union flag ribbon motif in the side and plan view elevations, while reflecting the multicultural society that defines the UK today. “

Yacht designer Philippe Briand added: “The flagship collaboration was an incredible opportunity to act as an architect realising the design of a project that was hugely complex, because it aims to represent not the tastes of one person but the essence of an entire nation.

“That is actually way more difficult than designing for even the most demanding individual.”

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• British Royal Family

King Charles Visits His Mother Queen Elizabeth's Beloved Royal Yacht in Scotland

The impressive vessel even surfaced in season 5 of 'The Crown'

Janine Henni is a Royals Staff Writer for PEOPLE Digital, covering modern monarchies and the world's most famous families. Like Queen Elizabeth, she loves horses and a great tiara moment.

Andrew Milligan - Pool/Getty 

King Charles is back on board the Royal Yacht Britannia before his coronation celebration in Scotland.

On Monday, the King stepped out in Edinburgh for the first Royal Week of his reign. King Charles, 74, is continuing Queen Elizabeth ’s tradition of spending a special summer week in Scotland and made a meaningful visit to the royal yacht on his first day there.

The Royal Yacht Brittania, otherwise known as Her Majesty's Yacht Britannia, was launched in April 1953, one month before Queen Elizabeth’s coronation. The 412-foot vessel was known as the royal family’s "floating residence" during its 44 years of service and sailed over 1 million nautical miles on 968 state visits as they entertained world leaders like Ronald Reagan, Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela, Ronald Reagan and Rajiv Gandhi. Several royal couples also honeymooned on the ship, including Charles and Princess Diana in 1981, and they later used it for official trips with Prince William and Prince Harry .

Diana Archive/Getty

RELATED: King Charles Is Having a Coronation Celebration! All About What's Happening in Scotland

Though the Royal Yacht Britannia offered the royal family a unique privacy away from their public life and was described by Queen Elizabeth as “the one place I can truly relax,” per ship history , it would not sail forever. As seen in season 5 of The Crown (spoiler alert!), it was decommissioned in 1997 after it was determined the $22 million needed to keep the yacht going for another five years was too much for the government to spend. The Royal Yacht Britannia moved to Leith, Edinburgh, the following year, where it has operated as a tourist attraction since.

The King visited on Monday in honor of the docking’s 25th anniversary, his first formal visit to the ship since 1997. He was welcomed by Bob Downie, Chief Executive of The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust, and toured the engine room, laundry and Rolls Royce garage. King Charles spent time with former crew members and staff before attending a reception with the Trust’s trustees and senior management team in the State Dining Room and Drawing Room, which surely evoked memories of celebrations past.

RELATED: What to Know About the Royal Yacht Britannia Featured on The Crown Season 5

Earlier on Monday, King Charles kicked off Royal Week with a visit to Kinneil House in Bo’ness, where he met representatives from organizations including The Prince’s Trust and planted a tree to mark the 100th anniversary of the estate becoming a public park.

He then moved to the Palace of the Holyroodhouse, the British sovereign’s official royal residence in Scotland, for the traditional Ceremony of the Keys.

According to The Scotsman , the annual ceremony marks the start of the monarch’s stay in Scotland. The sovereign is handed the keys of the city of Edinburgh and welcomed to "your ancient and hereditary kingdom of Scotland,” and then returns them to local elected officials for safekeeping.

Though the first Royal Week of Charles’ reign is only beginning, Monday’s Ceremony of the Keys was not the first of his royal reign.

The King participated in the ritual in September 2022 following the death of Queen Elizabeth at Balmoral Castle on Sept. 8. King Charles, Queen Camilla and Princess Anne were coincidentally in Scotland at the time, and the Queen’s two eldest children arrived at her side before she died.

Earlier, Charles was formally welcomed to the city and Holyroodhouse at the official ceremony of the keys.

Peter Byrne/WPA Pool/Getty

Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!

Royal Week in Edinburgh will continue on Tuesday when King Charles, Queen Camilla and Princess Anne host a garden party at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

Chris Jackson/Getty 

Then on Wednesday, the King will be presented with the Honours of Scotland at a National Service of Thanksgiving and Dedication at St. Giles’ Cathedral celebrating his coronation. Queen Camilla, Prince William and Kate Middleton will also be in attendance at the ceremony, which will feature a Royal Procession and a flypast.

King Charles and Queen Camilla will also carry out engagements in Scotland on Thursday.

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NEWS... BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT

This is what a £250,000,000 superyacht for King Charles could have looked like

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A design for King Charles’ zero carbon multi-million-pound superyacht that was scrapped last year has been unveiled.

London-based firm Vitruvius Yachts revealed plans for their previously confidential proposal for the Royal Yacht Britannia.

When the British government invited concepts for a new National Flagship vessel, the company was shortlisted as a finalist in the design competition.

Their 125-metre yacht had been in the running for the £250m project, which would have seen it set sail by 2025.

The new Britannia concept is described as a ‘celebration of British society and technology in a vessel designed for the people but fit for a king.’

However, it was reported last year that Chancellor Jeremy Hunt was planning to scrap plans for a new yacht as part of a package of spending cuts.

The plan had been put forward by Boris Johnson when he was prime minister but he faced criticism from MPs at a time when there were other priorities for spending.

The previous Royal Yacht Britannia had been used by the Royal Family since its commissioning in 1954.

US Presidents who had boarded included Dwight D. Eisenhower, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton.

Famously, Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales, took their honeymoon cruise on Britannia in 1981.

The new design comes from Team FestivAl, a collaboration between Vitruvius Yachts, world-renowned architecture practice Zaha Hadid Architects, and aluminium ship and yacht specialists Ocea.

Vitruvius say key features include a focus on sustainable power and propulsion.

The highly efficient hull design minimises fuel consumption and maximises opportunities for emerging green technologies to create a zero-carbon vessel.

The interior is based on recycled and recyclable materials, and a flexible deck and interior design can switch between exhibition showcase or floating embassy with ease, ‘suitable for everyone from VVIPs to schoolchildren and the disabled’.

The sleek exterior profile includes a distinctive central slice through the superstructure that takes the form of a hoop of glass, flooding the interior with light and providing a key design element that, combined with a distinct LED-lit style line in the profile, hints at the ribbon pattern in the Union flag. This is reinforced in the design when viewed from above.

The vessel features an energy-agnostic propulsion system based on efficient pod drives, which can also enable geostationary position-keeping without damaging sensitive seabeds with an anchor.

Power for the pod drives would come from a large battery bank that could be charged via shore power or onboard generators, initially using renewable diesel/biofuel but allowing for alternative energy sources now and in the future including green hydrogen fuel cells and onboard-harvested solar and wind energy.

Team FestivAl’s National Flagship explain their project draws on several cultural and societal cues, ‘from innovation and sustainability to accessibility and inclusion, to represent the very best of British in design, manufacturing, craftsmanship and diversity’.

The firm say: ‘Indeed, in developing the design, the essence of Britishness takes centre stage through a Union flag ribbon motif in the side and plan view elevations, while reflecting the multicultural society that defines the UK today. ‘

Philippe Briand comments: ‘To design a vessel – a flagship – that will become a benchmark in sustainability as well as demonstrating British excellence and heritage for current and future generations, while also being a symbol of inclusion and diversity, was an enormous challenge that kept me awake at night.

‘The nature and intensity of the project kept me focused but also filled me with pride, not just in the design process itself but for what the flagship stands for.’

He added: ‘The flagship collaboration was an incredible opportunity to act as an architect realising the design of a project that was hugely complex, because it aims to represent not the tastes of one person but the essence of an entire nation.

‘That is actually way more difficult than designing for even the most demanding individual.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected] .

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The Story Behind the Royal Family's Yacht, Britannia

The ship hosted four royal honeymoons in its 44 years of service.

Often referred to as the last royal yacht, the Britannia was decommissioned in 1997, and despite some efforts , there are no signs of a new one in the near future. Though its seafaring days may be behind it (the ship now serves as a tourist attraction in Edinburgh, Scotland), the Britannia remains an important artifact and a peek behind the curtain of royal life—it even garnered a prominent place in the fifth season of The Crown . Below, a few of its most notable moments throughout history.

It was the first royal yacht designed for ocean travel.

The ship was built by John Brown & Co at the same shipyard in Clydebank, Scotland in the same location the famous ocean liners the Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary were constructed. With 12,000 horsepower, the ship could travel at a maximum 22.5 knots (approximately 25 miles per hour), ideal for ocean-going diplomacy. Prior to its launch in 1953, the royal family used ships from the Royal Navy or even passenger liners for the overseas portions of the royal tour.

In its 44 years of service, the HMY Britannia traveled around 1.1 million miles.

It was commissioned just two days before the death of King George VI.

The King was already in failing health by the time the designs for the HMY Britannia were submitted, and the hope was that traveling might help alleviate some of his symptoms. However, just two days after the John Brown shipyard in Clydebank, Scotland received the order the King passed away on February 6, 1952.

It would take just over a year for the ship to be completed, during which time its name remained a secret—it wasn't announced until the ship's official launch in April of 1953, less than two months before the Queen's coronation . Elizabeth cracked a bottle of English wine (in the post-war era, champagne was considered too extravagant for the launch of a ship) and announced, "I name this ship Britannia … I wish success to her and all who sail in her."

It was created to double as a hospital.

When Britannia was first envisioned, less than a decade after the end of World War II, the designers sought to make it as functional as possible, crafting a space that could be converted from an ocean-going royal residence to a seafaring hospital during any possible future wartime. The main veranda was laid out and re-enforced so that it could support a helicopter landing and the laundry was made much larger than on a standard naval vessel to accommodate the potential patients. Though the ship was never actually put to that purpose, it was pressed into service on a rescue mission to help evacuate European nationals from South Yemen in 1986.

The ship was home to a lot of history.

Long before it became a floating museum, the Britannia had an eye for history. The gold and white binnacle housed on the ship's veranda deck was originally part of the HMY Royal George , a royal yacht that served Queen Victoria . Likewise, some of the bed linens used by Queen Elizabeth aboard the vessel were originally made for Victoria's bed for one of the previous royal yachts.

Britannia's steering wheel was lifted from her namesake, the racing yacht HMY Britannia , built in 1893 for King Edward VII .

It was redesigned to be less opulent.

Despite the sense of luxury that the term "royal yacht" inspires, the Queen and Prince Philip were actually concerned when they began overseeing the project in 1952 that the original interior design plans by the design firm McInnes Gardner & Partners were too lavish for a country still recovering from the war. The interiors were ultimately redesigned by Sir Hugh Casson and received very minimal updates throughout her 44 years of service.

But it still had homey touches—by royal standards.

Suffice to say that even low-key royal living is a fairly high class. In addition to the 56-seat State Dining Room, which hosted luminaries including Winston Churchill, Noel Coward, Nelson Mandela, and multiple US Presidents, the ship also sported a formal staircase where the Queen would greet guests, separate bedrooms and sitting rooms for both Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh, and a phone system designed to match the unique configurations of Buckingham Palace's telephones.

In the early years of the Britannia's life it was also home to the Queen's Rolls-Royce Phantom V which was hoisted and lowered from a special garage compartment at port so that the Queen could drive her own car at each location. The space was ever so slightly too small, forcing the bumpers to be removed in order to get it into the garage without damage and then refitted when the car was removed. Ultimately Elizabeth began using cars provided for her at port instead and the garage was converted into a storage area for beer.

The steering crew couldn't see where they were going.

Life on board the HMY Britannia was far from typical for her crew. To begin with, due to the prestige and pressure of the position, the commanding officer of the royal yacht was always a flag officer, most commonly a Rear Admiral, although the first two to serve were Vice Admirals, and Britannia 's final CO was a Commodore.

While working, the crew reportedly used hand signals to communicate rather than shouting orders, in order to maintain a sense of quiet and calm for the royal residents. It was also the last ship in the royal navy where the crew members slept in hammocks, a practice that they maintained until 1973.

Perhaps the most unusual element of the ship's functioning, though, was the steering. While on most ships, the steering wheel sits on the bridge, overlooking the front of the vessel, Britannia 's was on the deck below, in the wheelhouse, which meant that the yachtsmen who were actually doing the steering couldn't see where they were going. The crew got around this rather surprising pitfall by using voice pipes from the bridge to confer navigational orders.

It was a royal honeymoon essential.

No fewer than four royal couples celebrated their honeymoons in the HMY Britannia 's honeymoon suite (the only room onboard with a double bed.)

Princess Margaret started the tradition in 1960 for her Caribbean honeymoon with Anthony Armstrong-Jones , a quiet, formal affair where dinners were taken in full evening dress every night. Things didn't go quite as smoothly for Princess Anne on her honeymoon with Captain Mark Phillips in 1973—storms and 20-foot waves left the couple stricken with seasickness for the first week of their Caribbean cruise. Prince Charles and Princess Diana famously spent their 1981 honeymoon on a Mediterranean cruise aboard the yacht. The crew managed to duck the press so efficiently they garnered the nickname "the ghost ship." The final royal honeymoon aboard the Britannia was taken by Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson , Duchess of York in 1986 when the couple traveled around the Azores.

And a family vacation spot.

In addition to her diplomatic duties on royal tours and her service as a post-wedding retreat, the Britannia was also a vessel for family vacations. During the summer months, the royal family would often take off on what became known as the Western Isles tour, cruising around the western isles of Scotland. During the trip, the family would play games and have barbecues on the islands. The stairway off of the veranda was sometimes even converted into a waterslide for the younger royals. The tour often included a stop off at the Castle of Mey to visit the Queen Mother, then making berth in Aberdeen so that the Queen could travel to her favorite summer home, Balmoral .

The Queen openly wept when HMY Britannia was decommissioned in 1997.

With so many memories around the yacht, it's not hard to understand why the decommissioning of the Britannia was upsetting for the royal family. Though plans were initially drawn up for a replacement yacht, the government ultimately determined not to fund the effort. After the Queen officially took her leave of it in 1997, the ship was placed in the port of Leith in Scotland where it serves as a floating museum and events venue . All of the clocks on board remain stopped at 3:01, the exact time that Her Majesty disembarked for the last time.

It was used for a reception for Zara Phillips before her wedding.

Though it's no longer used as their private vessel, the Britannia 's connection to the royal family didn't end in 1997. In 2011 on the night before her wedding, the Queen's oldest granddaughter Zara Phillips contracted the ship for a reception. Though her grandmother wasn't in attendance Zara celebrated her upcoming marriage to Mike Tindall onboard along with her mother and her cousins Prince Harry, Prince William and Kate, Princess Eugenie, and Princess Beatrice.

Lauren Hubbard is a freelance writer and Town & Country contributor who covers beauty, shopping, entertainment, travel, home decor, wine, and cocktails.

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Iconic Yachts: The history of the 122m superyacht loved by King Charles III

Converted cruise ship Alexander has hosted many a royal in her fifty years at sea and is rumoured to be a favourite of King Charles III. Risa Merl uncovers the history of "the love boat"...

When The Crown returned to Netflix last year for season five, a depiction of the iconic yacht Alexander sailed onto the screen. Looking more like an ocean liner than a luxury superyacht, the 121.95-metre could be easily overlooked, but the classic is said to be one of King Charles III’s favourite vessels and it’s one that he’s enjoyed cruising on multiple times as Prince. 

In the Netflix series, Alexander was actually portrayed by another iconic yacht, Christina O , during filming. The real Alexander was launched in Germany in 1965 by Lubecker Flender-Werke. The vessel was purchased by Greek shipping magnate John Latsis in 1983 and is said to have been named after Alexander the Great. She underwent a conversion, in which no expense was spared, from cruise ship to private yacht, to become Latsis’s floating pleasure palace. The newly refitted Alexander heralded a new age of yachting in the form of Greek shipping magnates, such as Latsis, taking part in the pursuit of superyachting. 

“As a piece of superyachting iconography, that comes entirely from what Alexander represents as opposed to her design per se. In the years immediately following the Second World War, yachting had become unassuming until the arrival of the Greek shipping magnates. They redefined large superyachting for a new generation,” says John Leonida, PhD superyacht researcher and former superyacht lawyer. “John Latsis was one of those men and Alexander was one of those yachts. In terms of cultural and political importance, this yacht filled the hole that yachts like Sir Thomas Lipton’s steam yacht Erin created. Both Lipton and Latsis could go toe to toe with their respective impressive guest lists.”

In addition to King Charles and his family, it is said that Marlon Brando, King Constantine of Greece, and President George Bush senior were all guests on board Alexander . King Charles was close to John Latsis and his son Spryros, and John Latsis contributed to Charles’ charities. Alexander was often put at the disposal of the then-Prince Charles and the Princess of Wales, most famously in the August of 1991 in what was reported as the cruise to rescue their marriage. “The yacht was at the time christened by some of the British tabloids as ‘the Love Boat’. She probably failed as such for Charles and Diana, but in subsequent years, Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles, now Queen Consort, have holidayed on the yacht and continued to do so after John Latsis passed away in 2003,” says Leonida. Alexander was reportedly owned by the Latsis family until 2015.

At the time that she was oft-visited by royals and celebrities, Alexander stood out for her size – as she was converted from a cruise ship, Regina Maris , to become a private yacht, so she was quite sizable indeed. She boasts a sizable interior of 5,933GT in which she accommodates 54 guests and 60-plus crew. Superyacht amenities on board include swimming pool and spa tub, a certified helipad and a private cinema, as well as multiple dining areas inside and out. The iconic yacht Alexander has a steel hull and steel superstructure. Currently sailing under a Malta flag, Alexander is known to be an active superyacht and was recently spotted cruising near Egypt.

From cruise ship to a yacht befitting royals, Alexander is undoubtedly an icon. It might be said she was at the forefront of noteworthy yacht conversions as well. “Converting ships into yachts or using commercial platforms for yachts is not a new thing. From the first British royal yacht, Charles II’s Mary to the second Duke of Westminster’s First World War battleship conversion Cutty Sark and most recently the Ulstein-built Olivia O , one does not have to start with a blank sheet to be iconic,” says Leonida. “ Alexander remains proof of that.”

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King Charles III makes a poignant return to the Royal Yacht Britannia – his mother’s beloved home from home

King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) with Princess Diana on the Royal Yacht Britannia at the start of their honeymoon cruise

King Charles III yesterday made a poignant return to the Royal Yacht Britannia. A ‘home from home’ for Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of Edinburgh and their four children, the Royal Yacht Britannia held an important place in the lives of the Royal Family for more than four decades until it was decommissioned in 1997.

Some expected Prince Harry to be among the congregation when close friend Jack Mann wed in Sussex

Family holidays, honeymoon and precious private time – the Royal Yacht Britannia brought so much to the Windsors. ‘This was the place out of the public eye, they could relax and be themselves. On board Britannia that was their family time and it was our job to make their stay comfortable,’ one former crew member recalled yesterday.

Members of the Royal Yacht Britannia make a toast with King Charles III during a tour of the Royal Yacht Britannia

Boarding the decommissioned yacht, King Charles no doubt would have been transported back through the decades to the countless voyages he shared with his siblings, cousins and parents – and later his wife and their young sons. During the visit – part of a busy schedule of engagements for Holyrood Week – King Charles sipped rum with sailors, met former crew members and attended a reception in the State Dining Room. ‘To all the marvellous Yotties who keep it all going, you are all brilliant,’ he said, toasting the crew.

Also known as Royal Week, Holyrood Week is an opportunity for the King and Queen to celebrate Scottish culture

The history of royal yachts dates back to the reign of Charles II who, when he became King of England, Scotland and Ireland on the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, was gifted a yacht called the Mary by his Dutch allies. There have been a total of 82 royal yachts since. As well as providing monarchs and their families a place in which to relax, they have also been deployed on diplomatic missions; a role that was particularly important before royals were able to jet off on planes.

Prince Charles and Princess Anne with their nanny on board the Royal yacht, Britannia at Portsmouth

Although it was Queen Elizabeth II and her family who enjoyed the use of the Britannia, the vessel had been commissioned by her father, King George VI , as a replacement for the ageing Victoria and Albert which was decommissioned in 1939 having been constructed during the reign of Queen Victoria.

Royals, military power-players and society swans were in attendance when Andrew Parker Bowles wed Camilla Shand in London

George VI, who reigned over Britain during the Second World War, took a practical approach when planning the new vessel, lest the nation should once again find itself in the throes of conflict, and ensured it could easily be turned into a hospital ship if needed. Sadly, the King died before construction was completed and it was his daughter and son-in-law who had the final say on its design.

The Queen and Prince Philip waving on board Royal Yacht Britannia during an official visit to Kuwait

The state room on the Royal Yacht Britannia

The Britannia set sail on her maiden voyage from Portsmouth to the Grand Harbour in Malta on 14 April 1952, carrying Princess Anne and her brother Prince Charles , who reunited with the then Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh at the end of their Commonwealth tour. The late Queen first boarded the yacht at Tobruk in the country then known as the Kingdom of Libya in May 1954, and she famously became the first British monarch to visit Chicago in 1959 when the yacht docked in the city.

King George V’s grandson Prince Michael of Kent is married to the glamazon and author Princess Michael of Kent

It became integral to royal life. As a young boy, Prince Charles is said to have stolen pastries from the kitchen of the yacht, and was captured on film playing on the decks and swooping down a makeshift slide. Sir Winston Churchill and Nelson Mandela were among those who dined in the opulent State Dining Room, while Prince Charles and Princess Diana honeymooned on board. It was also the location of fun-filled family holidays, with private home videos and photos shared from the royal archives over the years revealing how the late Queen relaxed on deck as the family whizzed down waterslides.

Season 5 of The Crown featured the Britannia towards the end of her seaworthy days. The series depicts Queen Elizabeth II (played by Imelda Staunton) tries to strong-arm Prime Minister Sir John Major (Johnny Lee Miller) into footing the bill for a sizeable refurbishment, telling him: ‘From the design of the hull to the smallest piece of china, she is a floating, seagoing expression of me.’ The Duke of Edinburgh (Jonathan Pryce) also does his best to compel Sir John to take action.

The Royal Yacht Britannia in Hong Kong

Ultimately, however, it was decided (as in real life) that the ‘costs were too great’ and, in 1994, it was announced the Britannia would be decommissioned. Three years later, the vessel that had given the late Queen so many happy memories embarked on its final voyage – a farewell tour around the UK. On the day of decommissioning, the enormity of the occasion was clear for the world to see, for Her late Majesty was photographed wiping away a tear during the ceremony; a rare public display of emotion for the stoic sovereign.

Typically stylish, Kate Middleton opted for an '80s-inspired green blazer and white midi skirt for her first outing to Wimbledon this year

Since her retirement, Britannia has been moored in the Port of Leith in Edinburgh and has served as a tourist attraction. It marks the final chapter in a fascinating story of the beloved floating royal residence.

The Queen wiping a tear from her eye at the de-commissioning ceremony for The Royal Yacht Britannia

King Charles’ New Yacht (Almost)

The British royal family has gotten a lot of attention in the U.S. and the English-speaking world lately, with millions of us glued to our screens to watch Queen Elizabeth’s funeral and all five seasons of The Crown on Netflix (2.8 million people watched just one episode last November in the UK alone). More recently, Prince Harry’s tell-almost-all biography Spare sold 1.43 million copies in the U.S., Canada and Britain on the first day it was available.

Now, we can get a new look at the lives of the royals – almost. One of the most poignant episodes of The Crown was when Queen Elizabeth reluctantly agreed to sell the Royal Yacht Britannia as an austerity measure, in 1997. It had been launched in 1954, and she said it was her favorite spot in the world.

The royal yacht has a special place in history. Indeed, the royal family has had one since King Charles ll in 1660. So there was great interest in the spring of 2021 when then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced plans for a new national flagship as a successor to the Royal Yacht Britannia to promote British trade and industry around the world. He said there would be a competition among leading yacht designers to get the government’s approval for the yacht.

Unfortunately, a new government scuttled those plans last October, also as an austerity measure. But last week, Vitruvius Yachts, the London-based firm, revealed its plans for the yacht, saying it had been a finalist in the competition before it was cancelled.

The design, a collaboration among Philippe Briand and Vitruvius Yachts, Zaha Hadid Architects, and Ocea, an aluminum ship specialist, called for a 250 million pound (307 million U.S. dollars), 410-foot, zero-carbon superyacht with an aluminum hull and green technology (recognizing King Charles lll’s interest in the environment) inside and out.

Vitruvius said the yacht was “a vessel for the people” but it was “designed to be ‘fit for a king.’”

The hull would  have 30 percent less hydrodynamic drag than a conventional steel ship, and power would come from a large battery bank that could be charged on shore or by onboard generators using renewable biofuels. It would be built with recycled aluminum, with the interior based on recycled or recyclable materials.

The interior also would have a flexible plan, so it could be used as a floating embassy or exhibition area. The exterior uses the Union Jack flag as a motif; an LED-lighted line in the profile hints at the ribbon pattern in that flag. Read more at  http://vitruviousyachts.com and see the video below:

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King Charles, Prince Andrew had 'desk-pounding shouting match' over monarch's idea to downgrade nieces: author

Before Prince William and Prince Harry were known as the battling brothers to rock the House of Windsor, there was King Charles and Prince Andrew.

In 2008, several years before Andrew’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein came to light, his older brother had an idea to streamline the monarchy, and it didn’t go well.

"Charles floated the idea that several Windsor offspring be demoted, stripped of their HRH standing, have their royal protection taken away, and, most revolutionary of all, kicked off the royal payroll," Christopher Andersen, author of "The King," told Fox News Digital.

KING CHARLES DESPERATE TO AVOID ‘KNOCKDOWN’ WAR WITH PRINCE ANDREW, WHO REFUSES TO LEAVE LAVISH DIGS: EXPERT

"Prince Andrew fought these proposals that would have resulted in his daughters Beatrice and Eugenie each being forced to earn their own living and downgraded from ‘Princess’ to ‘Lady,' a suggestion that was shouted down in an angry confrontation between him and Charles," Andersen said.

According to Andersen, the Duke of York didn’t think twice before he decided to "throw a fit."

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

"By all accounts, it was a literal battle Royale, a desk-pounding shouting match between the two brothers, both known for their volatile tempers," Andersen claimed. "Keep in mind that this was years before Andrew's involvement in the Jeffrey Epstein sex abuse scandal essentially forced the king to put Andrew out to pasture."

Andersen’s claims came shortly after several royal experts told Fox News Digital Beatrice and royal cousin Zara Tindall have stepped in to support William as his father and Kate Middleton undergo treatment for cancer.

Andersen said Charles, 75, had good reason to think about the monarchy’s future before his feud with Andrew came to a head.

WATCH: QUEEN ELIZABETH ‘REMAINED INCREDIBLY CLOSE’ TO PRINCE ANDREW ‘RIGHT UP UNTIL HER DEATH,’ ROYAL AUTHOR CLAIMS

"In 2006, Prince William joined the Way Ahead Group, his grandmother Queen Elizabeth's tight-knit circle of family and anonymous advisers whose whole purpose was to chart a future course for the monarchy," Andersen explained. "Its members included Charles and his siblings Anne, Andrew, Edward, and, of course, the queen. Details of the group's twice-yearly meetings were top secret.

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"The queen's decisions to voluntarily pay income taxes, to mothball the royal yacht HMS Britannia, and to end primogeniture — the thousand-year-old old rule stipulating that males have precedence over females in the line of succession — all grew out of Way Ahead Group deliberations," Andersen explained. "Although Prince Harry was then third in line to the throne, he was not invited to join.  By 2008, deliberations focused on future King Charles' vision of a more efficient, streamlined monarchy."

While demoting Eugenie and Beatrice would have been "a major shakeup," Andersen claimed the rivalry between the brothers goes way back.

"The king and Prince Andrew have always had a strained relationship," Andersen said. "The queen lavished attention on both Andrew and the youngest brother, Edward. Their father, Prince Philip, doted on Anne. They were often described as ‘two peas in a pod.’

"But as the oldest and heir to the throne, Charles was left out in the cold, emotionally abandoned by his parents," Andersen claimed. "Charles was 11 when Andrew was born, and the king has resented his younger brother ever since."

The queen, England’s longest-reigning monarch , died in 2022 at age 96. At the time, rumors were swirling that Charles, who ascended to the throne, would strip Beatrice and Eugenie of their titles.

The Duke of York became eighth in line to the throne, but his controversial friendship with Epstein, along with allegations of sexual assault, forced Buckingham Palace to strip Andrew of his military affiliations and royal patronages. It was believed that Charles would continue removing any trace of affiliation to the dynasty after the prince, 64, "embarrassed" the family with his actions.

Beatrice, 36, and Eugenie, 34, are the daughters of Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, 64. The couple endured a highly publicized divorce in 1996 but have remained friendly through the years.

"Beatrice and Eugenie have always been particularly close to their cousins, William and Harry," said Andersen. "Even during Andrew’s scandalous, headline-making divorce from their mother, the sisters remained favorites of the queen.

"It is ironic that now, with the king and Princess Kate battling cancer , they are proving indispensable to the king," Andersen shared. "Charles certainly must be glad that he didn't go through with his plan to have them phased out. … Ironically, Prince Andrew and Fergie are out in the cold, but their two daughters are still very much in the royal thick of things."

Andersen also claimed the princesses have remained devoted to serving the crown, even if it means pulling away from certain relatives.

"William and Kate are fond of Beatrice and Eugenie, and it's worth noting that Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, were once very close to them as well," Andersen said. "In recent months, however, the sisters have pulled back on their friendship with the Sussexes and made a show of their allegiance to the crown. Beatrice and Eugenie may have acted as peacemakers in the past, but I don't see that happening now."

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back as senior royals in 2020 and moved to California. They have since publicly aired their struggles with royal life, which has further strained their relationship with the family.

PRINCE ANDREW 'HOLDING ON BY HIS FINGERTIPS' AS 'PRISONER OF PRIDE' INSIDE CRUMBLING ROYAL HOME: EXPERTS

"Standing with Harry and Meghan means standing against the king, William and Kate," Andersen added. "That's something the sisters can't afford to do at the moment, certainly not when they are earning so many goody points with the royal family by pitching in as they have while the king and Kate are sidelined by their cancer treatments."

"It never hurts to be on the right side of the monarchy, something their parents learned the hard way," Andersen added.

Andrew stepped back from royal duties in 2019 due to his connection to Epstein, a convicted sex offender . He was also stripped of his honorary military titles. Before she died in 2022, the queen also removed his honorary leadership of various charities, known as royal patronages, and barred him from using the title "his royal highness" in official settings.

The council in the northern city of York voted unanimously to withdraw the prince’s "freedom of the city." The honor was awarded to Andrew in 1987 after the queen made him the Duke of York. He is the first person to be stripped of the status, an honor that dates back to medieval times. Local leaders have since argued that Andrew should also lose the title of Duke of York. A spokesperson for Andrew declined to comment at the time.

In a lawsuit filed in 2020, Virginia Roberts Giuffre accused Andrew of sexually exploiting her on three occasions in 2001 when she was 17. Andrew has vehemently denied any wrongdoing.

JEFFREY EPSTEIN FBI RECORDS TARGETED IN SENATE JUDICIARY PROBE AFTER DOCUMENT DUMP

In 2022, a U.S. judge dismissed the sex abuse lawsuit against Andrew, who settled with Giuffre. The prince made a substantial donation to his accuser’s charity and declared he never meant to malign her character.

Epstein was found dead behind bars in 2019 at age 66. The U.S. attorney in Manhattan prosecuted Epstein's former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, for helping recruit his underage victims. She was convicted in 2021 and is serving a 20-year prison term.

Andrew was named in previously secret court documents related to Epstein that were unsealed in the new year. It was part of a 2015 lawsuit filed against Maxwell by Giuffre.

The records, including transcripts of interviews with some of Epstein’s victims and old police reports, contained reminders that the millionaire had surrounded himself with famous and powerful figures, including a few who have also been accused of misconduct.

Original article source: King Charles, Prince Andrew had 'desk-pounding shouting match' over monarch's idea to downgrade nieces: author

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Get a Rare Glimpse Inside Prince Charles and Princess Diana's Honeymoon Yacht

The vessel, which was used for other Royal visits, also had an emergency bunker.

One such journey was the honeymoon of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. In August 1981, the yacht brought the couple on a tour of the Mediterranean, stopping at Greek islands for beach picnics. While photos of the trip are a rarity, we can imagine what it looked like at the time in these images from the period.

The drawing room:

A sitting room:

The Duke of Edinburgh's sitting room:

The dining room, set for dinner:

The anteroom, with the drawing room in the background:

The sun room:

The yacht also hosted a few other royal honeymoons for Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones, Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips, and the Duke and Duchess of York. But not every planned journey was as glamorous — the Royal Yacht Britannia was also intended to be Queen Elizabeth's refuge in the event of a nuclear attack .

In 1997, the yacht was decommissioned at an event where Queen Elizabeth visibly cried . Visitors can tour the vessel where it is berthed in Edinburgh, Scotland. Earlier this year, there were rumors of plans to take the yacht out of commission for post-Brexit purposes. However, more recent rumors suggest that there might be a successor to the Royal Yacht Britannia. Whatever happens, we'll always remember the yacht's glamorous past.

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What Really Happened On King Charles & Princess Diana's Honeymoon?

It's hardly news that King Charles and Princess Diana didn't have a very happy or fulfilling marriage, but not everyone realizes that things between the two were already souring when they set out on their honeymoon in 1981. After hosting one of the most lavish weddings of all time, and certainly the most popular of modern royal weddings, the pair boarded the royal yacht Britannia to spend several weeks cruising the Greek islands.

The trip was complicated by a number of factors, including Diana and Charles' age difference (twelve years), Charles' ongoing relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles (his second wife and now queen), and Diana's battle with bulimia, which she later admitted began around the time she and Charles got engaged. While the sailing journey could have been an incredible one for the couple, it seems it simply wasn't meant to be.

After making it back to the United Kingdom, Charles and Diana spent a few days at Balmoral, the royal family's home in Scotland. Here is a look at what happened on their honeymoon, and what went wrong between the two.

King Charles and Princess Diana got married on July 29, 1981

King Charles and Princess Diana were married in a lavish ceremony on July 29, 1981. As many now know, the circumstances leading up to their wedding day were less than ideal. In the 2020 ITV documentary "The Diana Interview: Revenge of a Princess," Diana's astrologer Penny Thornton shed some light on what kind of conversations Charles and Diana were having before the big day.

Per People , she explained, "One of the most shocking things that Diana told me was that the night before the wedding, Charles told her that he didn't love her. I think Charles didn't want to go into the wedding on a false premise. He wanted to square it with her, and it was devastating for Diana." Diana reportedly wanted to call off the entire wedding, but the show had to go on.

The wedding cost approximately $48 million at the time and was watched on TV by 750 million people around the world. The two had announced their intention to marry only five months prior, during an interview with the BBC. The interview became notorious after Charles was asked if he and Diana were in love, and he replied, "Whatever in love means." Diana later claimed that Charles' dismissive comment was "traumatizing." 

King Charles and Princess Diana honeymooned onboard the royal yacht

When it came time to take their honeymoon, King Charles and Princess Diana set sail on the royal yacht Britannia. The two boarded the ship in Spain and immediately set sail for Greece and the surrounding islands. While the idea of a private cruise to the Greek islands might be a dream come true for many of us, the reality is that the trip was anything but pleasant for the already feuding couple.

The pair weren't the only royals to use the yacht for their own purposes. Queen Elizabeth II was especially fond of the vessel, which was so important to her that it was largely regarded as one of her homes. In fact, between 1954 and 1997, the yacht sailed over one million miles as it ferried members of the British royal family around the world.

Other royal couples also boarded the yacht for their own honeymoons. These included Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones, Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips, and Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, then the Duke and Duchess of York. In 1997, the yacht was decommissioned during an emotional ceremony that even brought Queen Elizabeth to tears.

King Charles and Princess Diana spent two weeks in the Mediterranean

King Charles and Princess Diana spent half a month in one of the most beautiful parts of the world: the Mediterranean, and in particular, the Greek islands. Unfortunately, that setting wasn't enough for the doomed pair, who reportedly spent most of their honeymoon fighting or just not getting along. 

In addition to their fighting, the pair were also spending their honeymoon with people who worked for them, whether they were part of the ship's crew or security detail. While that's an understandable necessity, it might not have created the most romantic environment for the newlyweds, especially when it seemed that the pair already had so much stacked against them. This crew reportedly included at least 200 people working the ship, as well as at least 20 members of the British Navy.

Once the pair returned to the United Kingdom, they spent the rest of their honeymoon at Balmoral, the royal family's home in Scotland. Diana was said to be particularly disappointed by this part of the trip, and even cried for six hours the day they arrived.

King Charles had to be in constant contact with Camilla during the honeymoon

Part of the reason that King Charles and Princess Diana had such a dismal honeymoon appears to be that Charles insisted on being with Camilla Parker Bowles as much as possible. In fact, despite the fact that Camilla had been married for eight years and Charles was on his honeymoon with his own wife, he still somehow found ways to call his girlfriend on the phone, all the way from the middle of the ocean.

As former royal valet Stephen Barry told Tina Brown for her book "The Diana Chronicles": "The Prince simply had to be in contact with Camilla or he couldn't function properly. If he went without his daily phone call, he would become tetchy and ill-tempered." Diana was already well aware of the fact that Camilla was in her new husband's life, and soon found a gift from Camilla that made everything painfully obvious.

The honeymoon was when Diana spied a pair of cufflinks that belonged to Charles. She reportedly thought the interlocking Cs were Chanel before realizing that they were initials for Charles and Camilla. As Diana told Panorama, "On our honeymoon, cufflinks arrive on his wrists. Two C's entwined like the Chanel 'C'. Got it. One knew exactly. So I said, 'Camilla gave you those, didn't she?' He said 'Yes, so what's wrong? They're a present from a friend'" (via Reader's Digest Australia ).

King Charles did not enjoy his wedding night with Princess Diana

It's never been clear if Princess Diana had many boyfriends before she began a relationship with King Charles, but what has been clear is that she was fairly naive when she married the 33-year-old at age 19. This fact about Diana wasn't lost on her new husband, but it doesn't seem that he felt the need to attempt to be particularly sensitive to her naivete or inexperience on their wedding night. In fact, Charles did quite the opposite. A 2007 article in The New Yorker noted that Charles told a friend the night was "nothing special."

It's possible that the intimate troubles between Diana and Charles were compounded by Diana's bulimia, which she later admitted was very difficult to bear at the time. In his biography "Diana: Her True Story," author Andrew Morton wrote that Charles had commented on Diana's waist ahead of their marriage and noted that she was, by his estimation, "chubby." As reported by Reader's Digest Australia , this sent Diana spiraling. She told Morton that this "triggered something in me" and "I was desperate, desperate. I remember the first time I made myself sick. I was so thrilled because I thought this was the release of tension."

King Charles and Princess Diana fought about what they did on the ship

King Charles and Princess Diana were also at odds during their honeymoon about how to spend their time on board the ship. The pair had a 12-year age difference, something that a number of sources have since indicated caused issues for them during the honeymoon and beyond. Author Penny Junor wrote in her book "The Duchess" that Charles had brought a number of items, including watercolor books and stacks of books, that he intended to enjoy on the trip. Diana was less than pleased with his plans, and instead hoped that he would spend more time with her.

Reader's Digest Australia has detailed one particularly intense fight between the two that culminated in destruction. The outlet shares that Junor documented the event in her book, writing, "One day, when Charles was painting on the veranda deck of Britannia, he went off to look at something for half an hour. He came back to find she'd destroyed his painting and all his materials."

King Charles and Princess Diana tried to take a second honeymoon

In 1991, King Charles and Princess Diana traveled with their young sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, to Italy to attempt to take what the press dubbed their "second honeymoon." The pair again sailed on a yacht to the Mediterranean and opted to travel to Italy with their friends as well as their children.

The trip was meant to celebrate the couple's tenth wedding anniversary, a feat that likely surprised the pair. At this point, the marriage between Charles and Diana was already souring; they would end up announcing their separation the following year. It's also been noted that Diana spent 1991 and 1992 recording tapes with Andrew Morton, who later used those recordings to write his book, "Diana: Her True Story." Of course, it isn't known if Diana began the interviews before or after the trip.

History Extra  has reported that while it's never been made clear what did or didn't happen on the second honeymoon, Diana and Charles had already spent some time apart before heading out on the trip. The outlet noted that when the two went on a trip to Czechoslovakia in May of 1991, they slept on separate floors of the home they occupied in Prague.

Recommended

WATCH: Queen Elizabeth was the first British monarch to visit Russia

Queen Elizabeth II, photographed in 1993. RollingNews

On Oct 17, 1994, Queen Elizabeth II became the first ruling British monarch to set foot on Russian soil.

As the eyes of the world are on Russia and the invasion of Ukraine, which has caused I migration of refugees unlike anything seen since World War II, we thought it interesting to look back at the October 1994 of Queen Elizabeth II to the Kremlin, by invitation of the then Russian President Boris Yeltsin.

In 1994 the Queen made a three-day visit to Russia. Three years before had seen the dissolution of the Soviet Union, when Yeltsin took office. His hope was that Her Royal Majesty's visit would strengthen the trade relationship with Britain and the Western World. 

Yeltsin's spokesman, Vyacheslav Kostikov, said at the time "We realize that the British queen would never have visited a Communist country."

• History of "God Save the King", Britain's National Anthem

Personally, 1994 was also a difficult time for the Queen personally as her son, Prince Charles, had separated from Princess Diana, just two years earlier. A biography of the Prince, by Jonathan Dimbleby, had caused a media frenzy over comments made by Charles with relation to his relationship with his mother and father, Prince Philip. 

The Queen and Prince Philip landed in Moscow on Oct 17, 1994. They were then taken to the Kremlin where they were greeted by Yeltsin and his wife, Naina. The Royal pair were also treated to a special performance of the Bolshoi Ballet.

The climax of the tour was a state banquet given on the final evening by the Queen aboard the royal yacht Britannia which had sailed to St. Petersburg to meet the royal party. 

They left Russia on Oct 20 and broke the journey home by visiting Finland. 

Since 1994 some members of the Royal family have visited Russia, including Princess Anne. She visited in 2016 to mark the 75th anniversary of the first Arctic convoys from the United Kingdom during World War II. Prince Charles also Russia in 2003. This visit resulted in a return invitation to President Vladimir Putin to visit Britain later that year.

Check out some AP footage of the Queen having dinner at the Kremlin:

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Queen Mary wears special flower crown gifted by a fan during second day of summer cruise

By Natalie Oliveri | 1 day ago

Queen Mary and King Frederik have given royal fans a rare look inside the official functions held on board the family's yacht.

Photos from the reception held on Tuesday show the royal couple, and their invited guests, dining on salmon, crayfish, rooster and turbot.

Mary, 52, was photographed speaking to one of the guests during the buffet wearing an embroidered dress by Etro and jewels gifted by her mother-in-law.

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Queen Margrethe II gave Mary her suite of turquoise jewellery including diamond and turquoise earrings, a matching brooch and ring, for her 50th birthday in 2022 .

Mary has worn the jewels on special occasions, including at the coronation of King Charles of Britain.

Before the function held on board the royal yacht Dannebrog, King Frederik and Queen Mary had a full schedule of engagements exploring Ærø, a Danish island in the Baltic Sea, on day two of their summer cruise .

Reached only by sea, Ærø is famed for its fishing villages, natural beauty and historic buildings with the island being traced back to the Ice Age.

Queen Mary and King Frederik arrived at Marstal Harbour and spent time meeting locals who had lined the streets to see the couple.

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Mary once again wore her Australian-made Canopy Bay hat which later saw an addition of a flower crown, gifted by an admirer.

The Queen placed the flower crown directly onto her hat when she and King Frederik explored Voderup Klint, a clifftop walk along one of the island's most picturesque locations.

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By this stage, Mary had swapped her Jimmy Choo heels for sneakers.

The royal couple were taken on a guided tour of the UNESCO-designated South Funen Archipelago Geopark.

They later walked through Ærøskøbing Torv to Ærøskøbing Harbour, exploring the 18th Century buildings, famed for preserving Europe's cultural heritage.

King Frederik and Queen Mary's summer tour on board the royal yacht is now sailing to its third stop, Assens on Funen island before ending in Vejle, in the southeast of the Jutland Peninsula.

The four-day summer cruise began on Monday on Bornholm, an island in the Baltic Sea east of Copenhagen and off the Swedish coast.

Summer cruises aboard the royal ship are a Danish tradition that goes back over 100 years.

The Royal Yacht Dannebrog serves as the official and private residence for King Frederik and Queen Mary when they are sailing in home waters or on official visits overseas.

The couple's summer cruise will be their final voyage on board the vessel for 2024.

In May, King Frederik and Queen Mary boarded the vessel for the first of their summer cruises since the change of throne in January.

Their journey included a visit to Sweden and Norway , Frederik and Mary's first state tour abroad as King and Queen.

FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE : Stay across all the latest in celebrity, lifestyle and opinion via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.

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First £1 coins to feature Britain's King Charles enter circulation

Britain's new £1 coin, featuring King Charles. Picture: Chris Fairweather/Royal Mint/PA Wire

The first £1 coins featuring Britain's King Charles III have entered circulation in the UK.

Nearly three million of the new designs will be making their way into people’s pockets and tills across Britain this week, via post offices and banks.

The £1 coin depicts a pair of British bees on the “tails” side, in honour of King Charles's passion for conservation and the natural world, and his official coin effigy is on the obverse or “heads”.

A total of 2.975 million £1 coins are being issued to banks and Post Offices, and they will co-circulate alongside ones displaying the effigy of the late Queen Elizabeth II, which will be replaced over time as they become damaged or worn.

The £1 coin is one of eight designs ranging from the 1p to the £2, inspired by flora and fauna to reflect King Charles's commitment to the environment, which were created as new definitives — standardised designs seen on the majority of official currency.

Following commemorative coins bearing his portrait, the first Charles III definitive — the 50p depicting an Atlantic salmon — was released in November 2023.

The other designs, which will be introduced in line with demand, are the 1p showing a hazel dormouse, the 2p red squirrel, the 5p oak tree leaf, 10p capercaillie grouse, 20p puffin, and the £2 with the national flowers — a rose for England, a daffodil for Wales, a thistle for Scotland and a shamrock for Northern Ireland.

A public poll by the Royal Mint found that the £1 bee coin was the favourite, closely followed by the 2p red squirrel.

The number indicating the value of the coin has also been enlarged to help children with their counting skills.

Rebecca Morgan, director of commemorative coin at The Royal Mint, said: “The Royal Mint has made the circulating coinage of each of Britain’s monarchs since Alfred the Great and it is an honour to reveal that King Charles III’s £1 coin is now in circulation.

“We know there’ll be a buzz of excitement amongst collectors and the public to get this special piece of history in their change.

“We hope the designs across all denominations spark important conversations about the conservation of these important species.” 

Banknotes with King Charles's portrait went into circulation in June.

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'King Charles is NOT dead': British embassy in Moscow issues furious denial after Russian media shared fake Buckingham Palace statement claiming Monarch 'passed away unexpectedly yesterday afternoon'

• A host of Russian news sites today reported the King had died aged 75

By Will Stewart

Published: 10:48 EDT, 18 March 2024 | Updated: 11:52 EDT, 25 March 2024

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The British embassy in Moscow was today forced to give an official statement confirming  King Charles III is still alive after Russian media claimed he had died.

A host of Russian news sites and their associated social media accounts reported earlier today that the King had died aged 75 as a result of cancer complications, citing unnamed 'media' sources in an inexplicable stream of posts.

It came as an image of a clearly fake statement from ' Buckingham Palace ' reporting Charles' 'unexpected death' was circulated on social media.

Minutes later their stories were updated after they were forced to climb down following reports the King was in fact not dead.

The British embassy in Moscow then furiously posted on X: 'Reports of the death of King Charles III of Great Britain are fake!' 

The British Embassy in  Kyiv  followed soon after with a statement that read: 'We would like to inform you that the news about the death of King Charles III is fake.'  

A host of Russian news sites and their associated social media accounts reported earlier today that the King had died aged 75

The post shared on X by the British Embassy in Moscow which read 'reports about the death of King Charles are FAKE'

Ukraine's British embassy also gave an official statement confirming King Charles III is still alive after Russian media claimed he had died

A tweet by Gazeta.ru perpetuated the rumours that Charles had died 

The fake palace announcement was dated today and said: 'The King passed away unexpectedly yesterday afternoon'

Several prominent outlets reported the bogus news but it was not immediately clear whether they had made an error or whether Vladimir Putin's propaganda machine was directly behind it.

The sick stunt involving the monarch followed criticism in Britain and other Western countries of Vladimir Putin's election 'victory' in a 'rigged' presidential election.

The British embassy's Telegram channel posted a notice in Russian to stress the reports were fake.

'Reports about the death of King Charles III of Great Britain are fake,' said the announcement, shortly after the British Embassy in Ukraine issued a similar message.

Early outlets running the fake report were Readkovka and Mash - staunchly pro-Putin outlets - but they later corrected their stories.

Mash media outlet wrote: 'Britain's King Charles III has died, Buckingham Palace reports. The son of Elizabeth II ascended the throne less than a year ago - the coronation took place on May 6, 2023. He was 75 years old.'

It updated to say 'the message turned out to be fake' while adding: 'Let us remember that a few months ago he was diagnosed with cancer.'

But the outlet later stated: 'The fake news about the death of Charles III quickly spread and was just as quickly debunked.

'The King of Great Britain is alive and continues to go about his business. At least that's what Buckingham Palace says. '

Even Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov's spokeswoman Maria Zakharova joined the fray, posting: 'London looks pathetic.'

The Russian state news agency RIA Novosti ran a denial story on rumours of the death of King Charles III

The Kremlin-linked pro-war media outlet Readovka was one of the first Russian media sources to post a fake Buckingham Palace statement about the death of King Charles III

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov's spokeswoman Maria Zakharova joined the fray, posting: 'London looks pathetic'

The sick stunt involving the monarch followed criticism in Britain and other Western countries of Vladimir Putin's election 'victory' in a 'rigged' presidential election

Pro-Kremlin BAZA online media posted: 'The Russian media reported the death of British King Charles III with reference to a document allegedly published by Buckingham Palace.

'The screenshot of the message about the death of Charles III turned out to be fake.'

The fake palace announcement was dated today and said: 'The King passed away unexpectedly yesterday afternoon.'

Independent outlet Meduza stated: 'A number of media and Telegram channels reported the death of the British King Charles III - with reference to a fake statement from Buckingham Palace.

'A screenshot of the statement, which became a news source, is provided, in particular, by the BAZA Telegram channel.

'This statement is not on the website or social networks of the royal family.'

Russian state news outlet RIA Novosti clarified that reports running in the Russian media were wrong.

'The press service of Buckingham Palace denied to RIA Novosti the rumours about the death of King Charles III,' said their report. 

'He continues to conduct official and private affairs.

'The basis for it was a certain message, the authorship of which was attributed to Buckingham Palace and which, apparently, turned out to be a fake.'

State news agency TASS reported that the story was fake.

The Kremlin's own newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta, published by Putin's government, wrote: 'King Charles III continues to carry out work and private affairs, Buckingham Palace said.

'Previously, many Telegram channels published unverified and false information about the death of the monarch.'

MailOnline has contacted Buckingham Palace for comment.  

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Prince Andrew will remain at Royal Lodge even though King Charles has ceased private funding for his 10-person security detail.

A reliable source has disclosed to Express.co.uk that King Charles has made sure that no taxpayer money is being used towards Prince Andrew's security costs at the Royal Lodge. This arrangement is set to persist beyond the exit of his private security team in October.

The same source indicates Prince Andrew is moving forward with a "mobile security" solution to counter rising costs while ensuring the residence remains sufficiently secured.

"The only reason the private security team has been discontinued is due to costs," explained the individual. "There was a proposal put forward for when this contract comes to an end in October but it was too high."

There were negotiations regarding the adoption of a mobile security team that ensures ongoing property surveillance, regular patrols, and continuous availability, reports the Express .

An upgrade to the property's internal security system is also in the works. The source assures that these changes will come at a significantly reduced cost and will not be borne by taxpayers.

Moreover, as the Windsor estate is home to various other Royal dwellings and constantly under police watch, the vicinity's security indirectly benefits Prince Andrew. While the police are not directly assigned to him, they are ready to react to any serious incidents.

Andrew has been resisting vacating the 30-bedroom Windsor property, estimated to be worth £30million, despite being offered Frogmore Cottage, which saw a £2.4 million refurbishment in 2019. The Royal faces challenges maintaining Royal Lodge, as his 75-year lease agreement from 2003 with the Crown Estate mandates him to "repair, renew, uphold, clean and keep in repair and, where necessary, rebuild" the mansion.

The terms of the lease also dictate that the exterior walls must be repainted every five years "with two coats of paint", and internally, the duke is obliged to "paint with at least two coats of paint and to paper, polish, decorate and otherwise appropriately treat" every seven years, commencing from 2010.

Over the weekend it was reported that the monarch's younger brother had been extended the exclusive use of the Queen's old cottage on the Balmoral estate for this summer. A source told the Express informed us that Prince Andrew, accompanied by his former wife Sarah Ferguson, has been staying at Craigowan, the late Queen's preferred cottage.

The insider noted that this visit will be a welcome change for the prince, who has largely kept to himself at Royal Lodge in Windsor since the year's start.

The source revealed, "Andrew has hardly left Royal Lodge since Christmas so he's very much looking forward to getting away with the rest of the family at Balmoral," and added, "He's turned into a bit of a recluse, so the girls [Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie] are hoping that some nice family time will help cheer him up a bit and bring him out of his shell."

Buckingham Palace has been approached for comment.

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