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Note says Britain’s queen ‘naturally’ wanted new royal yacht

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FILE - In this Friday, May 9, 1997 file photo, a long-tailed boat passes by the British Royal Yacht Britannia as it is tugged to port in Bangkok. A newly discovered note dated 1995 in the U.K.’s National Archives Saturday Dec. 29, 2018, shows that Queen Elizabeth II let government officials know she would welcome a replacement for the Royal Yacht Britannia once it was decommissioned. The Royal Yacht Britannia was in service from 1954 to 1997. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, file)

LONDON – A newly discovered note in the U.K.’s National Archives shows Queen Elizabeth II let government officials know she would welcome a replacement for the Royal Yacht Britannia once it was decommissioned.

The 1995 note is unusual because the queen is required to remain politically neutral and avoids lobbying the government on specific requests.

The message from her deputy private secretary to the Cabinet office said Elizabeth would “naturally very much welcome” a new royal yacht.

But it made clear palace officials recognized the decision had to be made by government ministers, not the queen.

The Royal Yacht Britannia was in service from 1954 to 1997.

The queen was known to be deeply attached to the Britannia. She was photographed shedding a tear when the vessel was retired.

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