It housed the Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, who was in Melbourne to open the event. Oil on board signed Richard Cosby and dated 2016. Neither the long and troubled centuries that have passed since that child was born, nor the complex scientific developments of our age, have done anything to dim the simple joy and bright hope we all feel when we celebrate his birthday. Queen blamed Major for royal yacht fiasco. LV. The Church has a duty to protect the free practice of all faiths in this country. My hope this Christmas is that the Christian spirit of reconciliation may burn as strongly in our hearts during the coming year. I speak of a tolerance that is not indifference, but is rather a willingness to recognise the possibility of right in others; of a comradeship that is not just a sentimental memory of good days past, but the certainty that the tried and staunch friends of yesterday are still in truth the same people today; of a love that can rise above anger and is ready to forgive. 1956 Vintage Press Photo by CECIL BEATON British Princess Margaret poses • $12.99. To see British and Russian veterans standing together, in memory of the sacrifices of their comrades-in-arms, was a moving experience. Royal Yacht Britannia: It's great. And finally to Britannia, Britain's last royal yacht, pictured here being watched by the late Queen Mother and Countess of Snowdon in 1954. This December we are looking back not just on one year, but on a hundred years and a thousand years. On Christmas Day in 1956 The Duke of Edinburgh was away from home on a voyage around the Commonwealth on BRITANNIA. We call them 'refugees': let us give them a true refuge: let us see that for them and their children there is room at the Inn. oil on board signed lower right. My message today is one of encouragement and hope. SV. Perfect seasonal timing produced the first iceberg on Boxing Day with more to come the next day; then it was another lengthy and rough fuelling at sea with WAVE CHIEF and on 29th December the Ice Patrol Ship HMS PROTECTOR (Captain Peter Mitchell RN) relieved WAVE CHIEF as Royal Escort. In the show Princess Margaret says, “It’s not a royal tour, it’s a five-month stag night.” And surely it is this very freedom of choice and decision which gives exceptional value to friendship in times of stress and disagreement. Being united - that is, feeling a unity of purpose - is the glue that bonds together the members of a family, a country, a Commonwealth. Your Holiness, your presence here today reminds us of our common Christian heritage, and of the Christian contribution to the encouragement of world peace. As HMY approached the Roaring Forties Prince Philip personally led a beard growing competition, and crossing the International Date Line kept the Executive Officer, Commander John Adams, busy too: he had 2 birthdays and so the Wardroom ensured he threw 2 parties! But I cannot think of any Christmas of my reign when the message of the angels has been more apt. No purpose comes nearer to my own desires, for I believe that the way in which our Commonwealth is developing represents one of the most hopeful and imaginative experiments in international affairs that the world has ever seen. I can think of no better resolve to make, nor any better day on which to make it. CV. Separation at this time is especially hard to bear. Nowadays, my grandchildren come here for the same family festival. It is the wish to foster, and advance, concord and understanding within the Commonwealth. So, our Commonwealth hearth becomes more precious than ever before by the contrast between its homely security and the storm which sometimes seems to be brewing outside, in the darkness of uncertainty and doubt that envelops the whole world. Royal yacht with bunting being lowered. TRAINS. For Christmas marks a moment to pause, to reflect and believe in the possibilities of rebirth and renewal. After their coming together in holy matrimony at Westminster Abbey in 1986, the now-divorced couple took a flight to the Azores Islands off Portugal and then went sailing around the Atlantic on the royal yacht Britannia. Early on in the new series of The Crown, we find the Duke of Edinburgh on board the Royal Yacht in 1956. Britannia was the first Royal Yacht to be built with complete ocean-going capacity and designed as a Royal residence to entertain guests around the world. Then Christmas comes, and once again we are reminded that people matter, and it is our relationship with one another that is most important. Christmas Day Tuesday 25th December 1956 BBCTV 11.00am A Family Service from Warwick Road Congregational Church, Coventry uniting with the Queen's Road Baptist Church 2.55pm His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh (sound only) speaking from the Royal Yacht Britannia … He had been a camouflage officer during the war and had enjoyed painting with such senior soldiers as Sir Claude Auchinleck and Sir Harold Alexander: “Alex” had made Seago his personal war artist during the Italian campaign. On the voyage back to England he will call at some of the least accessible parts of the world, those islands of the South Atlantic separated from us by immense stretches of the ocean, yet linked to us with bonds of brotherhood and trust. John Major dithered over replacing Her Majesty's Yacht Britannia amid fears of a backlash in the wake of two high-profile Royal divorces, newly declassified papers reveal. One of a set of 147 35mm Kodachrome slides donated to the Museum in 1987. Miscellaneous. Feb 21, 2018 - In service from 1954---1997. The birth of a baby brings great happiness - but then the business of growing up begins. Following naval tradition, Gibson was dressed as the admiral in full fig and between them HRH, “Vice Admiral” Gibson and the Rounds Party visited every messdeck where they were welcomed with a traditional tot of rum. The Royal Squadron crossed the Antarctic Circle on the last day of 1956, all onboard were given a red nose certificate designed by HRH and Ted Seago, and Prince Philip went across from BRITANNIA to the deck of a whale catcher by fishing basket! Once again messages of Christmas greeting have been exchanged around the world. Prince Philip spoke on the radio from the Royal yacht before The Queen made her broadcast live from her study in Sandringham, Norfolk. Shots fm the train as it leaves Waterloo Station w P/Anne & P/Charles O/B to join the Yacht "BRITANNIA" at S'hampton to go up North 1956. I have been warned I may have Happy Birthday sung to me more than once or twice. Image 3: A certificate designed by The Duke of Edinburgh and the artist Edward Seago to mark the Royal Yacht Britannia’s crossing of the Antarctic Circle Image 4: The Duke of Edinburgh in 1963 with the celebrated British ornithologist Sir Peter Scott, and Minnie, a Bronze Winged Duck Let us remember this during our festivities, for it is part of the Christmas message - "Goodwill toward men". The first member of the Royal Family to visit Australia was Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, son of Queen Victoria, in 1867, during his 'round-the-world voyage.Stops were made at Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.The Duke was shot by Henry James O'Farrell in an assassination attempt while picnicking on the beach in the Sydney suburb of Clontarf, on 12 March 1868. Cruising appears to be one of the royals’ preferred ways to honeymoon. ... BRITANNIA anchored as close as possible off the beach and was quickly involved in the rescue effort with Soviet ships. In 1956, Philip set out without the Queen on a forty-thousand-mile itinerary to the South Pacific on the Royal Yacht Britannia. A royal yacht is a ship used by a monarch or a royal family. Every image on this website is protected by either Artist’s Copyright or Maritime Prints’ Publication Right. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel at least 24 hours before the start date of your tour for a full refund. 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