Royal Yacht Idea for Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee Sinks Fast

By Ceylan Yeginsu | January 17 2012 11:27 AM

It's not often you see Queen Elizabeth shed a tear in public, but it was an emotional departure for her when she decommissioned her royal yacht, Britannia, in 1997. Now, with a few weeks left until her Diamond Jubilee, a new yacht has been proposed as a perfect gift fit for the queen, but the U.K government disagree, at least if the yacht is funded by public money.

Reuters

Queen Elizabeth II carries a folded 5 pounds or 10 pounds in her handbag to donate to the church on Sundays

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Feb.6 marks the Queen's 60th anniversary on the throne, and while a rich spectacle will be put on for the British public on that day, it seems highly inappropriate for a new yacht to be funded by the public as the nation sits on the brink of another recession. Especially when the royal yacht in question would cost at least 60 million pounds, according to the Associated Press.

David Cameron's spokesman, Steve Field, announced that the government would be open and supportive to a gift proposal that was privately funded. Ministers have been approached over plans to raise donations for a privately funded vessel and the government will react favorably to a firm plan, he said in a statement.

The idea for a new yacht seeped into the public domain on Monday, after a leaked letter from the education minister, Michael Gove, proposed the idea of a new royal yacht to replace the last one that Tony Blair's government sent out into retirement in 1997.

Even if the government can't put together private funds for the yacht proposal, it seems the queen is still getting a pretty big party to mark her succession to the thrown from her father, King George VI.

On Wednesday, Buckingham Palace officials will meet with the Government of London to unveil plans for the great Diamond Jubilee Spectacle, in what is expected to be the greatest river pageant the country has ever seen, according to the Daily Mail. Celebrations will be carried out throughout the nation with mass parades, shows and lighting of beacons, over a four-day nation-wide holiday.