CNN - Royals bid farewell to Britannia

Britannia

PORTSMOUTH, England (CNN) -- With pomp, prayer and upper lips more quavering than stiff, Britain's royal family gathered Thursday to bid good-bye to their floating castle, Britannia.

The royal yacht's formal decommissioning ceremony, held at the Portsmouth naval base, was attended by Queen Elizabeth II, her husband, Prince Philip, and her children, Prince Charles, Prince Andrew and Princess Anne.

"It is with a sadness that we must now say good-bye to Britannia," the queen said in a farewell message sent to the ship's crew. "My family and I extend our heartfelt thanks to all these men for their unfailing loyalty, dedication and commitment."

As the sun set and a military band beat retreat with the tune "Rule Britannia," the queen, known for rarely showing emotion, struggled mightily to keep her composure. As he met with the families of the crew, Prince Philip wiped his eyes with his hand.

The 412-foot (126-meter), 6,000-ton Britannia, launched in 1953, has logged more than a million miles carrying members of the royal family all over the world -- a floating monument to the prestige of a sea-faring nation that was once the world's foremost naval power.

It was also a favorite haunt of the royal Windsors, themselves a sea-faring family. Philip, Charles and Andrew all had naval careers; Anne is an honorary naval officer and avid sailor.

But the antiquated ship needed a $30 million refurbishment, and, in an era of a more economical monarchy, the government of Prime Minister Tony Blair decided instead to decommission the ship. There are no plans to replace it.

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip watch the ceremonies

The defense ministry announced Wednesday that Britannia would either be turned into a tourist attraction anchored near Manchester or be taken to Edinburgh, Scotland to become a corporate hospitality center.

Last month, Princess Anne made headlines when she suggested that, rather than allow Britannia to lapse into undignified deterioration, it be scuttled and sent to the bottom of the sea. But the government did not heed her advice.

Before Thursday's ceremony, the royal contingent had lunch one last time on the ship and took a final look at the rooms where they spent honeymoons, holidays and hosted international dignitaries for four decades.

Correspondent Richard Blystone and Reuters contributed to this report.