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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.

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What Happened to the Royal Yacht Britannia?

The Crown season five begins and ends with the same plot point: The Royal Yacht Britannia. The vessel serves as a—fairly obvious—metaphor in the first episode, where Imelda Staunton’s Queen Elizabeth describes it as “a floating, seagoing version of me.” The problem with her metaphorical marine self? It’s in desperate need of multi-million dollar repairs. 

She asks British prime minister John Major, played by Jonny Lee Miller, whether the government might be able to help foot the bill. He, in turn, asks if the royal family might front the cost, given the public pushback they both might receive if such a seemingly extravagant project was approved. In the final episode of the season (a note to the reader: spoilers will follow), Tony Blair and Queen Elizabeth agree to decommission the yacht after Prince Charles’s trip to Hong Kong.

The Crown is known for taking much of its plot material from real-life events. In the case of the Royal Yacht Britannia, though—what really happened to the boat, and how much political controversy did it really cause?

To go back to the beginning, King George VI first commissioned the royal yacht that would become the Britannia in 1952. It was an exciting project, as the previous official boat had belonged to Queen Victoria, and was rarely used. (Queen Victoria, for one, did not like the water and never sailed.) Then, during the early 20th century, England was mostly at war, and making a massive, slow-sailing luxury ship would be a massive security risk in international waters. 

The Royal Yacht Britannia, George decided, should both be an extravagant vessel and a functional one, able to double as a hospital if times of war were to arise again. In 1953, the newly-crowned Queen Elizabeth christened the ship with a bottle of wine, as champagne was still seen as too extravagant post-war. In 1954, she set sail for the first time.

The Royal Yacht fulfilled many functions, most of them leisurely. Over the years, the boat hosted four royal honeymoons, including that of Princess Diana and Prince Charles, as well as many family vacations. In 1969, after his investiture as the Prince of Wales, Charles hosted an intimate party on board to celebrate. (Newspapers at the time wrote that he danced with his dear friend Lucia Santa Cruz —the very person who eventually introduced him to Camilla Parker Bowles.)

It also served as a grandiose mode of transport for many royal visits. In 1959, for example, Britannia sailed to Chicago to celebrate the recently-opened St. Lawrence seaway in Canada, and President Eisenhower joined her on board. Twenty years later, she sailed to Abu Dhabi for her first official visit to the United Arab Emirates, where she held a grand dinner for Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

And although Queen Elizabeth's reign was not during wartime, the royal yacht did execute a humanitarian mission, as King George VI had always planned for: In 1986, it sailed to Aden to evacuate over 1,000 refugees from the civil war in Yemen.

The New York Times once described the 412-foot Britannia as “an ordinary yacht what Buckingham Palace is to the house next door.” It wasn’t an exaggeration—Britannia was essentially a floating palace. It had a drawing room, a dining room, two sitting rooms, as well as galleys and cabins for all the officers. The stateroom interiors were just as ornate as any other royal estate, while the bedrooms—which all had their own bathrooms and dressing rooms—were designed to feel surprisingly personal. 

“Within the royal apartments, however, the regal elegance gives way to the homey, patched elbow chic of an English country house, with flowered chintz slipcovers, family photographs, and rattan settees, interspersed with the occasional relic of Empire—shark's teeth from the Solomon Islands here, a golden urn commemorating Nelson's victory at Trafalgar there,” the New York Times found when it boarded the ship in 1976.

The cost of running Britannia was always an issue. Politicians raised questions about its financial value as far back as 1954, when two MPs lobbied for an investigation on why the yacht’s refurbishment would cost 5.8 million pounds, accusing the royal family of waste and extravagance. A government committee later dismissed the accusations. In 1994, the Conservative government ruled the yacht too costly to refurbish, when repairs came in at a whopping 17 million, but then briefly walked back on their decision a few years later. 

However, when Tony Blair’s Labour government won the election, and the new government once again declined to pay for Britannia. Britannia’s final journey was to far-flung Hong Kong in 1997, as Prince Charles turned over the British colony back to the Chinese at the end of Britain's 99-year lease. When they finally decommissioned the boat that summer, the queen cried—one of the few times she’s shown emotion in public. The boat had logged over one million nautical miles.

Today, Britannia sits permanently docked in Edinburgh. Visitors can take tours of its grand galleys, or even rent it out for events. Yet, despite its retirement, the concept of the royal yacht lives on: In 2021, Boris Johnson floated the idea of a new boat. However, a mere eight days ago, Rishi Sunak has scrapped the project—showing that, even now, the concept remains a controversial one.

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Secrets of the Royal Yacht Britannia

Town & Country took a tour of the famous vessel which served the royal family for more than 40 years and has reopened as a tourist attraction.

Wondering about the royal family's yacht as you watch this season of The Crown ? In light of its appearance on the Netflix series, we're resurfacing this story from 2021 :

Famously described by the Queen as “the one place I can truly relax,” the Royal Yacht Britannia was a home away from home for the royals from her maiden voyage in 1954 until she was decommissioned in 1997. Sailing more than one million nautical miles to 135 countries, the vessel also played a key role in Britain’s diplomatic work, allowing the Queen to serve as a host wherever she went. Now moored in Edinburgh, Scotland as a tourist attraction , the ship remains the last of 84 royal yachts, ending a tradition that first began in 1660.

While plans to build a successor to boost Britain’s trade continue to attract criticism, Britannia is once again attracting hordes of visitors after being forced to close because of COVID-19. And it’s no surprise, because from being able to look right into the Queen’s bedroom to learning about what life was like for the up to 220 yachtsmen on board, this is a boat with some fascinating stories to tell.

Town & Country went aboard to learn the secrets of this much-loved vessel. Here’s our pick of the best royal tales.

The ship was altered with royal skirts in mind.

Many photographs of the Royal Yacht Britannia show the family waving from the Royal Bridge as the vessel departed from or arrived at its destination. And the bow of the ship was specially adapted to make sure these public moments did not reveal more than was intended. “The curved teak windbreak was a later feature, added for modesty’s sake, to prevent sea breezes from lifting royal skirts,” visitors to Britannia are told.

It was a struggle to get the royal car on board.

When the 412-ft yacht was built in 1953, it was considered important that it had a garage to house the Queen’s Rolls Royce. However, getting the car on board was no easy feat. “First, the car, in its transporter, had to be hoisted onto the special track that is fitted into the deck. Even then, it could only be squeezed into the Garage by removing its bumpers,” Britannia’s guide notes. Thankfully, in later years the Queen usually traveled in a car from the country she was visiting which meant that the garage was eventually used as a beer store.

Britannia was designed to avoid any peeking into the royal bedrooms.

Now, visitors to Britannia get a full view of the Queen and Prince Philip’s (separate) bedrooms, albeit through glass. However, when the ship was in use it was important that no-one could peek into these rooms. Pointing out that the windows looking into these areas are “higher than anywhere else on the Yacht,” Britannia’s guide explains: “By placing them at this height above the deck, any accidental glimpses into the royal bedrooms could be prevented.”

There were lots of people on board—but not everyone traveled in style.

One of the most fascinating things about touring the yacht is looking into the living quarters—from the relatively luxurious rooms of the Queen and Prince Philip and the ship’s Admiral, to the officers’ comfortable sitting room and dining room, to the approximately 220 yachtsmen who lived, slept, and worked, as the guide describes “in fairly cramped conditions.” Tourists are told: “Britannia was a ship in which hierarchy was strongly defined.” And there were plenty of people to accommodate. Some 45 working members of the royal household accompanied the Queen on her overseas visits.

The Queen favored neutrals while Philip liked darker colors.

As the yacht was build with their use in mind, the Queen and Prince Philip both had a say in the ship’s design and as such, it gives a some insight into their taste. The Queen’s (single) bed has a specially-commissioned embroidered silk panel above it, and her room is decorated in pale and neutral colors. By contrast, Philip’s room features vibrant maroon linen and curtains and, at his request, his pillows, unlike the Queen’s “do not have lace on the borders.”

There is only one double bed.

The honeymoon suite on the yacht is opposite the Queen and Philip’s bedrooms. “This is the only room on Britannia with a double bed which was brought on board by Prince Charles when he honeymooned on the Yacht with Princess Diana,” tourists are told. “When the Royal Children were small, this bedrooms and the adjoining room were used as nursery suites.”

The royal children liked to eat jelly on board.

Food on board Britannia was prepared in three galleys—one for the yachtsmen, one for the officers and one for the royal household. Buckingham Palace chefs were flown out to prepare royal food and there was a room that, according to Britannia’s guide, was known as the Jelly Room “for it was in here that the royal children’s jellies were stored.”

There is a dance floor that hasn’t been used for 50 years.

The largest room on Britannia is the State Dining Room where lavish banquets were held. It could also be used as a cinema room. “The silver-grey carpet could also be rolled up to expose a wooden dance floor beneath, although the last time this was used was for Princess Anne’s 21st birthday celebrations,” the guide notes.

Prince Philip kept a reminder of his naval career in his office.

Just like their separate bedrooms, the Queen and Philip had separate offices on board Britannia. Philip’s had a “specially designed display case,” the ship’s guide notes, in which he kept “a model of HMS Magpie, His Royal Highness’s first naval command.” The Duke of Edinburgh famously gave up his active naval career in 1951 to support his wife in her duties when King George VI’s health was ailing.

The ship was ready for stormy seas.

The royal family and their guests relaxed in the drawing room, which featured a grand piano. The instrument was played by members of the family and even some of their famous guests, including composer Noel Coward. “The Welmar baby grand piano cost £350 when it was supplied in 1952, and is firmly bolted to the deck to stop it taking off in choppy seas,” tourists are told.

Once the royal laundry turned blue.

Walking through the laundry at the end of the tour provides an insight into what was once a “hot and noisy environment.” Some 600 shirts could pass through the laundry in one day, with the royal family’s washing done on separate days to that of the crew. Britannia’s audio guide recounts “one occasion when the royal washing turned a delicate shade of blue, and Her Majesty’s Dresser was less than amused. The cause, it turned out, was a chemical reaction in the copper pipes, which was quickly remedied by adjusting the pH value of the water.”

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Town & Country Contributing Editor Victoria Murphy has reported on the British Royal Family since 2010. She has interviewed Prince Harry and has travelled the world covering several royal tours. She is a frequent contributor to Good Morning America. Victoria authored Town & Country book The Queen: A Life in Pictures , released in 2021. 

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The true story behind Princess Diana's fairytale wedding in 'The Crown'

Charles and Diana's wedding was magical, but their public smiles and show of happiness masked secret tensions and concerns about their future together.

On July 29, 1981, Lady Diana Spencer walked down the aisle of Westminster Abbey, London, leading her wedding dress' enormous train past 3,500 guests, including nobility, world dignitaries and royalty. Waiting for her at the altar was Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, eldest son and heir to Queen Elizabeth II. 

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Diana recalled feeling like "the luckiest girl in the world" to be marrying a man whom she loved so much, according to her biographer, Andrew Morton, in his book " Diana: Her True Story in Her Own Words " (Simon and Schuster, 1992). However, the happy day, which according to the BBC was witnessed by more than 750 million live television viewers around the world, masked the now-infamous and tragic reality of the couple's relationship, marred by infidelity, loneliness and unrequited love. 

How Charles and Diana met

When Charles celebrated his 30th birthday in November 1978, speculation about who would be his future wife quickly intensified. In 1977, he had been briefly involved in a relationship with Lady Sarah Spencer (now Lady Sarah McCorquodale), the vivacious eldest daughter of Earl Spencer. But that relationship lasted only a short while and fell apart when Sarah spoke to the press about Charles. However, before their relationship ended, Charles was invited to Althorp, the Spencer family's home, and it was there that he met Sarah's youngest sister, Lady Diana, who was just 16 years old and still at boarding school. 

Charles was intrigued by Diana's adolescent gaiety, later commenting he found her "very jolly and amusing." The pair didn't meet again until November 1978, when he invited her and Sarah to his 30th birthday party. Another 18 months passed before Charles and Diana started to become romantically involved, after Charles invited her to a party in July 1980, allegedly at the instigation of Camilla Parker Bowles, a married woman whom Charles had an on-again, off-again relationship with for several years.

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In interview tapes recorded in 1992 and later released in the 2017 documentary "Diana: In Her Own Words," Diana claimed that Charles "leapt" on her after she told him how it seemed to her that he needed someone to look after him. Charles, who had come to rather the same conclusion, could not help but respond to her sympathy.

Shortly afterward, Charles invited Diana to join him on the Royal Yacht Britannia and their relationship began moving very quickly. A month later, Charles invited Diana up to Balmoral Castle, the royal family's Scottish home, which was taken as a strong sign that Charles was seriously interested in the young aristocrat. 

Meeting the queen and the rest of the royal family on such an intimate level would be extremely daunting for most young women, especially one as shy and awkward as Diana was at that point, but her family had been connected with the royals for most of her life. In fact, Diana had been born in Park House on the Sandringham Estate, Queen Elizabeth II's country home (Diana's family lived there before her father inherited the Spencer earldom). And Diana's formidable grandmother, Lady Fermoy, was one of the Queen Mother's close friends. 

The visit to Balmoral went well, with Diana charming everyone with her good nature and high spirits, and Charles took the next step of asking her to accompany him on a visit to Highgrove, his country house in Gloucestershire. Diana, who was used to the splendours of Althorp, found it a bit unimpressive and would have been even less thrilled if she had known that its primary attraction for Charles was its close proximity to Camilla's house. 

The engagement

In those 1992 tapes, Diana claimed that she met Charles only 13 times before they became engaged, but in reality they saw much more of each other, with several meetings in London as well as trips to the royal homes of Balmoral, Highgrove and Sandringham. She was also a guest at a small royal gathering for Charles's 32nd birthday in November 1980. It was around that time that news of their relationship broke in the press and Diana began to be hounded by photographers, who followed her wherever she went, while the newspapers were rife with speculation that an engagement was imminent. 

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Charles' much-expected proposal took place on Feb. 3, 1981 at Windsor Castle, with Diana allegedly being so overwhelmed that she thought Charles was joking and burst out laughing before saying yes. When Diana told Charles that she loved him, he replied "Whatever love is," according to " Diana: Story of a Princess " (Simon and Schuster, 2001), by biographers Tim Clayton and Phil Craig. News of the engagement was kept secret for a few more weeks while Diana spent some time alone with her mother in Australia. 

The royal engagement was officially announced on Feb. 24, 1981. In an interview with the BBC that day, Diana looked obviously besotted with her prince, but when asked if the couple were in love Charles again replied with "Whatever 'in love' means." In her 1992 tapes, Diana referred to the interview as "ghastly," and said that Charles' response "threw me completely."

Immediately after the announcement, Diana moved into Clarence House, the London home of the queen, as Diana's flat in Chelsea, which she shared with a group of close female friends, was considered no longer suitable for a soon-to-be princess. According to Morton's interviews, Diana said she packed her bags and left her flat with a police bodyguard, who warned her: "This is the last night of freedom ever in the rest of your life."

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Later, she moved up the road to Buckingham Palace, where she was given a relatively small suite of rooms on the nursery floor. This was a depressing experience for Diana, who quickly began to feel bored, lonely and isolated, according to Morton. She spent most of her time alone, as Charles was often away and his family paid her very little attention, assuming that she would quickly adapt to their ways and not realizing that she was in desperate need of guidance and support.

When Diana found out that Charles was planning a private farewell lunch with Camilla two days before the wedding, Diana became so upset that she threatened to call off the wedding. According to Morton, Diana's sisters pointed out that it was far too late to cancel, they told her, because "your face is on the tea towels."

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Morton also wrote that it was during the months before her wedding that Diana first suffered from bulimia , as she grappled with the pressures of her new position and her unease about the relationship between her fiancé and Camilla.

Beyond the Palace gates, excitement about the forthcoming wedding was reaching fever pitch, with street parties planned all across the country. There was also a great deal of speculation about Diana's wedding dress, which was being made by a young designer couple, David and Elizabeth Emanuel. According to Clayton and Craig, the dress required several fittings and adjustments due to Diana's dramatic weight loss.

The wedding day

The wedding celebrations began two days before the big day with a final rehearsal in St. Paul's Cathedral, which had been chosen as the wedding venue thanks to its enormous size and central London location. The rehearsal was followed by a huge ball held by the queen in Buckingham Palace, which Diana attended in a daring shocking pink, skin-tight Emanuel gown

Diana spent the night before her wedding at Clarence House with her sisters and bridal attendants, all of whom had to work hard to calm her nerves as she mentally prepared for her big day. Charles sent a gift of a signet ring across from Buckingham Palace, accompanied by a note telling her that "I am so proud of you and when you come up I'll be there at the altar for you tomorrow. Just look 'em in the eye and knock them dead," according to Penny Junor's book " The Duchess: The Untold Story " (William Collins, 2017).  

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On the day of the wedding, Diana, accompanied by her father Earl Spencer, rode in the famous royal Glass coach to St. Paul's Cathedral, cheered on by the vast crowds — an estimated 650,000 people — that lined the route from Clarence House. 

For the crowds outside, the next glimpse of the newly married royal couple occurred shortly afterward when Charles and Diana made the traditional appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony, flanked by their family and members of the wedding party. Charles had not sealed his wedding vows with a kiss but made up for this oversight by kissing Diana on the balcony, creating an iconic image that would feature on dozens of newspapers all around the globe the following day. 

The wedding party enjoyed a lavish wedding breakfast of brill in lobster sauce followed by chicken stuffed with lamb mousse, with strawberries and cream for pudding. There were also no fewer than 27 wedding cakes, including the five-foot-tall (1.5 meter) official cake, which the couple cut after the ceremony.

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In accordance with royal tradition, the couple did not stay for the evening party, but instead changed into their going-away outfits — in Diana's case, a pretty peach Bellville Sassoon suit with matching hat — then bid their guests goodbye before climbing into the open landau carriage that took them to Waterloo Station. The groom's mischievous younger brothers, Andrew and Edward, had secretly attached balloons, tin cans and a "Just Married" sign to the back of the carriage. This delighted the crowds that had gathered to watch the newlyweds leave for their honeymoon, which would involve a few days at Broadlands, Charles' great uncle's former country home in southeast England, followed by a Mediterranean cruise on the Royal Yacht Britannia and then several weeks alone on the Balmoral Estate.

Related: Princess Di and the history of mass grieving

By the time they returned from their honeymoon, Diana's position as an international celebrity, on a scale that had almost certainly never been seen before, had been assured, thanks in part to the romantic magnificence of her wedding day. That the newly married Prince and Princess of Wales' smiles masked her secret despair and his growing sense of unease about his marriage would not become apparent, to the public at least, for quite some time to come.

Additional resources:

• Learn everything you wanted to know about Diana's wedding dress from the National Constitution Center .
• Watch archived footage of the wedding on the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia 's website.
• Find out what was on the wedding playlist, from Classical Music . 

This article was adapted from a previous version published in All About History magazine, a Future Ltd. publication.

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

The Royal Yacht Britannia served as the official royal yacht of the British monarchy for 44 years

The Crown is diving into royal events from the '90s in season 5 , and that includes the decommissioning of Her Majesty's Yacht Britannia, also known as the Royal Yacht Britannia.

In the first episode of the new season, Claire Foy ( who portrayed Queen Elizabeth II in seasons 1 and 2) reprises her role as the monarch as a flashback shows the yacht's official launch in April 1953.

At the time, the new yacht held special significance as it was launched by the Queen just before her own coronation in June 1953 .

Through the years, the vessel sailed over 1,000,000 nautical miles on 968 state visits with the royal family as they entertained prime ministers and presidents, per the Royal Yacht Britannia website. It also served as the venue for several royal honeymoons , including Princess Diana and Princes Charles in 1981 .

From when it was commissioned to where the Royal Yacht Britannia is now, here's everything to know about the royal yacht.

When was the Royal Yacht Britannia commissioned?

As shown on The Crown , Royal Yacht Britannia was officially launched on April 16, 1953 , at the shipyard of John Brown & Co. Ltd in Clydebank, Dunbartonshire, where Queen Elizabeth unveiled the yacht's official name.

Following Queen Elizabeth 's coronation on June 2, 1953, the Royal Yacht Britannia was commissioned into the Royal Navy on January 11, 1954, before sailing her first overseas port on April 22.

How big is the Royal Yacht Britannia?

The Royal Yacht Britannia is about 412 feet long , with a beam width of 55 feet and five decks , and weighs over 4,000 tons.

Who used the Royal Yacht Britannia?

The yacht was described as the royal family's "floating residence" during its 44 years of service. As it was used to host "magnificent state receptions and banquets, and guests ," numerous world leaders boarded the yacht over the years, including Sir Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela, Ronald Reagan and Rajiv Gandhi.

Per the Royal Yacht Britannia website, the yacht also " allowed the Royal Family some rare privacy away from their public duties and was famously described by HM Queen Elizabeth II as 'the one place I can truly relax.' "

Furthermore, the Royal Yacht Britannia was the venue of four royal honeymoons : Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips, Prince Charles and Princess Diana, Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones, and Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson. All four royal marriages ended in divorce, which Queen Elizabeth famously reflected on in her 1992 speech where she referred to the past year as her "annus horribilis ," or horrible year.

When was the Royal Yacht Britannia decommissioned?

The yacht's retirement was announced in 1994 as a result of the substantial costs needed to repair the ship. It was estimated that the cost would £17 million, which would only prolong the yacht for another five years.

On December 11, 1997, the Royal Yacht Britannia was decommissioned during an official ceremony that was attended by most of the senior members of the royal family. It was been reported that Queen Elizabeth was seen uncharacteristically shedding a tear during the decommissioning.

"Looking back over 44 years we can all reflect with pride and gratitude upon this great ship which has served the country, the Royal Navy and my family with such distinction," the Queen said at the time .

Where is the Royal Yacht Britannia now?

Listed as part of the National Historic Fleet, people can now visit the Royal Yacht Britannia at Port of Leith in Edinburgh, Scotland. Visitors are able to see various parts of the yacht including Britannia's five decks, the state apartments, as well as the Sun Lounge, which was the Queen's favorite room in which to have her afternoon tea.

Does the Royal Yacht Britannia have a successor?

Plans for a successor to the Royal Yacht Britannia first began in 2019 when it was reported that the late Sir Donald Gosling had donated £50 million to pay for the construction . In 2021, the yacht was commissioned by Boris Johnson to host trade fairs and diplomatic events and it was expected to go into service in 2024 or 2025.

However, in November 2022, it was reported by BBC that plans for the yacht were being scrapped as the government "searches for spending cuts." The new yacht was estimated to cost up to £250 million.

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History Hit Story of England: Making of a Nation

• 20th Century

10 Facts About Royal Yacht Britannia

Peta Stamper

28 nov 2022.

The 83rd and last in a long line of royal yachts, HMY Britannia has become one of the most famous ships in the world. Now permanently moored at Edinburgh’s Port of Leith, the floating palace is a visitor attraction welcoming some 300,000 people aboard each year.

For Queen Elizabeth II, Britannia was the ideal residence for state visits and peaceful royal family holidays and honeymoons. For the British public, Britannia was a symbol of Commonwealth. For the 220 naval officers who lived aboard Britannia , and the royal family, the 412-foot-long yacht was home.

Having travelled more than a million nautical miles over 44 years of service to the British Crown, Her Majesty’s beloved boat was decommissioned in 1997. Here are 10 facts about life aboard HMY Britannia.

1. Britannia was launched by Queen Elizabeth II on 16 April 1953 using a bottle of wine, not champagne

Champagne is traditionally smashed against a ship’s hull during launching ceremonies. However, in a post-war climate champagne was seen as too frivolous, so a bottle of Empire wine was used instead.

Britannia launched from the John Brown & Company shipyard in Clydebank, Scotland.

2. Britannia was the 83rd Royal Yacht

King George VI , Elizabeth II’s father, had first commissioned the royal yacht that would become Britannia in 1952. The previous official boat had belonged to Queen Victoria and was rarely used. The tradition of royal yachts had been started by Charles II in 1660.

George decided that the Royal Yacht Britannia should both be a regal vessel as well as a functional one.

3. Britannia had two emergency functions

Britannia was designed to be converted into a hospital ship in time of war, although that function was never used. Additionally, as part of the Cold War plan Operation Candid, in the event of nuclear war the ship would become a refuge off the north-west coast of Scotland for the Queen and Prince Philip.

4. Her maiden voyage was from Portsmouth to Grand Harbour in Malta

She carried Prince Charles and Princess Anne to Malta to meet the Queen and Prince Philip at the end of the royal couple’s Commonwealth tour. The Queen stepped aboard Britannia for the first time in Tobruk on 1 May 1954.

Over the next 43 years, Britannia would transport the Queen, members of the Royal Family and various dignitaries on some 696 foreign visits.

The HMY Britannia on a visit by the Queen to Canada in 1964

Image Credit: Royal Canadian Navy, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

5. Britannia hosted some of the 20th century’s most notable figures

In July 1959, Britannia sailed the newly opened Saint Lawrence Seaway to Chicago where she docked, making the Queen the first British monarch to visit the city. US President Dwight Eisenhower hopped aboard Britannia for part of the journey.

In later years, Presidents Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton would also step aboard. Charles and Diana, the Prince and Princess of Wales, took their honeymoon cruise on Britannia in 1981.

6. The crew were volunteers from the Royal Navy

After 365 days’ service, crew members could be admitted to the Permanent Royal Yacht Service as Royal Yachtsmen (‘Yotties’) and serve until they either chose to leave or were dismissed. As a result, some yachtsmen served on  Britannia  for over 20 years.

The crew also included a detachment of Royal Marines, who would dive underneath the ship each day while moored away from home to check for mines or other threats.

7. All royal children were allocated a ‘Sea Daddy’ on board the ship

The ‘sea daddies’ were primarily tasked with looking after the children and keeping them entertained (games, picnics and water fights) during voyages. They also oversaw the children’s chores, including cleaning the life rafts.

8. There was a ‘Jelly Room’ onboard for the royal children

The yacht had a total of three galley kitchens where Buckingham Palace ‘s chefs prepared meals. Among these galleys was a chilled room called the ‘Jelly Room’ for the sole purpose of storing royal children’s jellied desserts.

9. It cost around £11 million every year to run Britannica

The cost of running Britannia was always an issue. In 1994, another expensive refit for the ageing vessel was proposed. Whether or not to refit or commission a new royal yacht entirely came down to the election result of 1997. With repairs at a proposed cost of £17 million, Tony Blair’s new Labour government were unwilling to commit public funds to replace Britannica.

HMY Britannia in 1997, London

Image Credit: Chris Allen, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

10. All the clocks on board remain stopped at 3:01pm

In December 1997,  Britannia was officially decommissioned. The clocks have been kept at 3:01pm – the exact moment the Queen went ashore for the last time following the ship’s decommissioning ceremony, during which the Queen shed a rare public tear.

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See inside Charles and Diana's dramatic honeymoon on the Royal Britannia yacht

King Charles and the late Princess Diana were wed in the summer of 1981 and head on their first honeymoon that same year. Take a look inside their honeymoon below

• 17:24, 5 APR 2023

An estimated 750 million people tuned in to watch the now King Charles III and the late Princess Diana tie the knot in a ceremony seen by the world in 1981.

Charles and Diana said “I do” in what was dubbed the “wedding of the century” at St Paul’s Cathedral in July 1981.

Shortly after, the newlyweds set off for Gibraltar on Spain’s south coast, where they boarded the Royal Yacht Britannia for their two week, now infamous honeymoon.

Read more: King Charles 'evicts' Prince Harry and Meghan from Frogmore to give property to Prince Andrew

Although the couple reportedly enjoyed anything from three to four honeymoons, their first took place following their wedding in the summer of 1981.

Cruising around the Mediterranean and stopping to visit Greek islands to soak up the sun before heading back to the family’s estate at Balmoral, Scotland may sound like the most relaxing way to spend two weeks, but the royal honeymoon proved to be anything but relaxing.

Although the trip seemed to have a promising start, with Charles and Diana pictured looking genuinely happy and in love before setting off, it is said that Diana was still recovering from a hurtful comment made by Charles during an interview that followed their engagement:

“We had this ghastly interview the day we announced our engagement,” she told her speech coach in the tape that was later used for the Channel 4 documentary Diana: In Her Own Words.

“And this ridiculous man said, ‘Are you in love?’ “I thought, what a thick question. So I said, ‘Yes, of course, we are,’ and Charles turned round and said, ‘Whatever love means.’ And that threw me completely. I thought, what a strange answer. It traumatised me.”

Read more: King Charles confirms the official use of title 'Queen Camilla' in coronation invitation

Read more: Princess Diana’s niece Amelia Spencer marries college sweetheart Greg Mallett in South Africa

It was later revealed that the Charles had requested a double bed be provided for the couple during their trip, and so the young couple were put up in what was usually used as the guest room.

The late Queen Elizabeth II and her late husband Prince Philip slept in separately single beds during their stays on the royal yacht.

A close friend of Charles also claimed that the now King told him “That first night was nothing special,” Tina Brown of The Diana Chronicles reported.

“It was pleasant enough, of course. But she really was painfully naive.”

Brown added that “Charles had enjoyed women who led him, mastered him, and mothered him. He was used to being served, not required to seduce.”

It was also revealed that Charles spoke to his now wife Camilla Parker Bowles "non stop" throughout his honeymoon with Diana .

Read more: Princess Diana confronted Camilla Parker Bowles about her affair with Prince Charles at a party

Read more: The outrageous chat up line Camilla used on Prince Charles

Camilla had already been married to her first husband, Andrew Parker Bowles, for eight years, but this didn't stop the pair checking in with one another while apart:

“The Prince simply had to be in constant contact with Camilla or he couldn’t function properly,” his valet Stephen Barry claimed in the book The Diana Chronicles. “If he went without his daily phone call, he would become tetchy and ill-tempered.”

The Royal Britannia Yacht is now open to visiting tourists, take a look at some of our pictures below - you may recognise some rooms that were recreated for Netflix's 'The Crown'.

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Charles and Diana aboard the Royal Britannia Yacht

Charles requested a double bed

Inside Charles and Diana's honeymoon

The late Queen and Prince Philip slept separately aboard the Yacht

The Royal Britannia Yacht

The pair looked very happy before setting off

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• Most Recent

Princess Diana "Caught Up on Sleep" During Her Honeymoon

New letters give a rare look into her marriage to Prince Charles.

In a rare look into the private lives of Diana and Charles, a batch of crested-paper letters (emblazoned with the royal crest), written by the princess to her personal secretary, Jane Parsons, will be auctioned off this spring in Gloucestershire, England. But there is one letter in particular gaining a lot of attention. Dated August 15, 1981, while on the Royal Yacht Britannia for her honeymoon, Diana allegedly wrote: "The honeymoon was a perfect opportunity to catch up on sleep…."

In addition to details about the honeymoon, the correspondences include information about the 4,500 baby presents Prince William received and the 24,000 thank-you letters were sent out by Diana's ladies in waiting, and how Diana made sure that her staff was not too "exhausted, overworked and underpaid" after William's birth.

In another letter, written on Kensington Palace crested paper dated July 5th, 1983, Diana expresses how excited she was to see William again after returning from the royal tour of Australia.

The letter reads: "William recognized us instantly, which was a relief as sometimes children resent their parents leaving them! It's marvelous to be home again and hopefully we won't have to do any more travelling this year... Wishful thinking!"

In another pair of letters, written on June 25 and June 26, 1982, after William's birth, Diana wrote to her office staff: "I know you are being buried under a avalanche of mail ... don't despair, there won't be another baby Wales until I've had a decent rest."

Prince Charles also took the time to address the staff and said he felt "apologetic at all the extra work we are probably going to land on you!"

The 25 lots being auctioned off in April also include wedding gifts, dried flowers from the Princess's wedding bouquet, Christmas cards, photographs and invitations to numerous royal events.

[ h/t the Telegraph ]

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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.

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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

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Unseen honeymoon pictures reveal Princess Diana and 'Crazy Horse' Charles relaxing on board the Royal Yacht Britannia

By Paul Harris for the Daily Mail Updated: 06:17 EDT, 7 November 2011

View comments

They were young, happy and relaxed.

From their smiles, you could almost guess they were in love (‘whatever “in love” means’, to borrow Prince Charles’s less than romantic phrase).

But these remarkably candid photos of Charles and Diana on honeymoon give no clue to the turmoil and torment to follow. Instead, they are a previously unseen record of the first hours the Prince and Princess of Wales spent together as man and wife.

The black and white images were taken by an official photographer on board the Royal Yacht Britannia, on which the couple spent their honeymoon.

Britannia's official photographer took pictures of Charles and Diana on board the Britannia during their 1981 honeymoon - when Prince Charles earned the nickname Crazy Horse for his aggressive tactics at deck hockey

The future King 'took no prisoners' and went in hard with his hockey stick against opponents in supposedly friendly games, crewman Terry Smith said

Copies were later made available to the crew – a gesture to reward their loyalty and service to the newlyweds everyone assumed would one day be king and queen.

Among those who acquired a set was Terry Smith, then a petty officer on Britannia. And for the next 30 years he treasured the photos and the memories they evoked of those days in the summer of 1981.

Now they are have resurfaced on the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow after Mr Smith, 67, presented them for valuation.

Among the pictures are ones of Diana being presented to the crew, at the bar of the officers’ mess and laughing with her new husband.

One of the photographs shows a 20-year-old Diana waits for the half a shandy she ordered on board the Britannia when she visited the officers' mess - Charles went for an orange juice

An expert on the Antiques Roadshow - seen here inspecting the images - valued the photographs at £800

One picture from which the 20-year-old princess is absent, however, is a snap that shows 22 crewmen taking a dip in the Mediterranean.

Look closely and it seems they might be beckoning someone to join them. Moments later, Mr Smith recalls, Diana did just that.

‘She wasn’t too scared about jumping in the water. I have looked closely at the photo of the lads in the sea to see if she is in it but she must have jumped in after it was taken,’ he said.

Mr Smith, from Aberystwyth, west Wales, added: ‘Charles and Diana were very friendly and chatty. They could relax here, and it was nice to see them on board in normal clothing like ourselves – just a pair of jeans and T-shirts. Diana was like a breath of fresh air, like a girl just out of school.

‘They visited the mess when I happened to be serving at the bar. When they came in I served them a drink. She had a shandy and Charles had a boring orange juice.’

The honeymoon cruise began in Gibraltar and took the couple on a rare excursion away from the limelight. At one stage they went ashore in Greece for a romantic barbecue by themselves on the beach, Mr Smith remembers.

The set of prints was valued at £800 when Antiques Roadshow expert Katherine Higgins saw them on the show’s visit to Aberystwyth, due to be screened tomorrow.

She told Mr Smith: ‘Relaxed is clearly what comes across in this incredible collection.

‘They give a good insight into the royal couple off duty.’

The Britannia photographer made the photographs available to the crew, and Terry Smith took up his offer to acquire a selection

The photos, which came to light when Mr Smith took them to the Antiques Roadshow, reveal how Charles and Di enjoyed entertainment on board the Britannia, including a tug 'o war (the Royals' heads are just visible)

The couple enjoyed swimming off the yacht in the Med - although as Diana jumped in after the picture was taken, she does not feature in the shot

Share or comment on this article: Prince Charles and Princess Diana unseen honeymoon pictures on Royal Yacht Britannia

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Khimki, Moscow Oblast, Russia

Khimki is a city located in Moscow Oblast, Russia, which is situated about 23 kilometers northwest of Moscow. It is one of the most significant industrial centers in the region and has a population of approximately 253,000 inhabitants as of 2021. The city is connected to Moscow by the Moscow-St. Petersburg highway and the Moscow Central Circle railway.

One of the most beautiful areas in Khimki is the historical center, which is known for its well-preserved buildings from the 19th and 20th centuries. The area is home to the City Hall and the City History Museum, as well as several beautiful parks and green spaces. The housing prices in this area are on the higher end due to the historic charm and central location. The average price for a one-bedroom apartment in the historical center is around 50,000 rubles (about $675) per month. The transportation is convenient with several bus and minibus routes connecting the area to the rest of the city. This area is generally safe, with low crime rates.

Another area worth mentioning is the recently developed residential district of Yaroslavsky. It is located in the eastern part of the city and is known for its modern and comfortable living spaces. The area has a large park with several playgrounds, bike paths, and sports fields. The housing prices in this area are more affordable compared to the historical center, with the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment being around 30,000 rubles (about $400) per month. The transportation is also convenient, with several bus routes connecting the area to the rest of the city. The safety of this area is also high, with low crime rates.

The Sokolniki neighborhood is also a popular residential area in Khimki. It is located in the southwestern part of the city and is known for its green spaces, which include several parks and forests. The housing prices in this area are slightly higher than in Yaroslavsky, with the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment being around 35,000 rubles (about $470) per month. The transportation is convenient, with several bus and minibus routes connecting the area to the rest of the city. The safety of this area is also high, with low crime rates.

Khimki is known for its diverse industry, which includes metalworking, chemicals, and construction materials. The city has several large industrial plants, such as the Sheremetyevo International Airport, which is one of the busiest airports in Russia. The city also has several shopping centers and entertainment complexes, such as the MEGA Khimki Mall, which is one of the largest malls in the region.

The people of Khimki are known for their love of sports, with football, ice hockey, and basketball being the most popular. The city has several sports clubs, such as the Khimki Basketball Club, which is one of the most successful basketball teams in Russia. The city also has several well-known public figures, such as the musician and composer Andrey Makarevich, who is known for his work with the band Mashina Vremeni.

Khimki is a beautiful city with a rich history and culture. The city has several outstanding areas, each with its own unique charm and character. The housing prices in the city are generally affordable, and the transportation is convenient, making it a great place to live. The city is known for its diverse industry, sports, and entertainment options, making it a great place to work and play.