London - When the Royal Yacht Britannia was decommissioned in 1997, the Queen shed a rare public tear.
But her mood was quite different, as she happily revived the name at the launch of P&O’s new cruise ship.
The 88-year-old beamed during the ceremony at Southampton, in which 20 bottles of sparkling English wine were used to christen the £473million liner.
As well as bearing the most patriotic of names, the Britannia - which can carry more than 3 600 passengers - also has a large Union Jack design on the prow.
The Queen was given a tour of the ship and was accompanied at the event by Prince Philip, who seemed in a similarly bright humour. Watching his wife sign an empty picture mount - which will display a photo of the monarch - he quipped: ‘It’s not a very good likeness, is it?’
The Britannia is only the fifth civilian vessel to be named by the sovereign, and follows the Queen Elizabeth in 2010.
Daily Mail