Royalty Yacht Trends
King Charles II: The First Monarch to Bring a Yacht into Personal Use
Although the use of luxurious ships dates back to the ancient history of Egyptian rulers, depending on the much-later introduced term ‘yacht’, the crown for using it by royalty goes undoubtedly to Charles II of England, Scotland and Ireland. Those were the first ever ships to unquestionably qualify as the Royal Yachts – depicting a symbol of grandeur, specifically designed for his highness and loaded with all the lavishness possibly imaginable to travel across the seas. Though the first one was a gift from the Dutch, but the later yachts were custom-built in England.
King Charles II had set a trend of bringing the first yacht into private usage, which was eventually established as a tradition, and later copied by other royalties of Europe. This trend progressively permeated so well in Europe that royal yachts became a symbol of national wealth amongst European Royal Families during the 19th century. This budding fashion came to an end during World War I because the few surviving royal families found it hard to justify the cost (and most of them were outmoded by warships). In the current era, many monarchies employ aircraft’s as a luxurious means of transportation, but the bliss of leisure traveling on a yacht is an entirely different experience on its own. Those with the sight for excellence have already felt it, and that’s perhaps the reason there still exist 3-4 royal yachts in Europe (despite the wars and economic downturns). Bravo to those who kept this trend alive, because the yacht-craze is sprouting back into fashion with much grace, especially after Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Makhtoum’s mega yacht ‘Dubai’ came into the limelight – as the second-largest yacht currently in service.
In Europe, many of the retired royal yachts are preserved and opened to the public, for example, ‘HMY Britannia’ and many alike. Most of them are moored permanently as five-star visitor attractions, providing its visitors a tour of the royal family’s living rooms, dining halls, bedrooms, and decks. But with increasing awareness, a wide majority of the populace crave to experience sailing and cruising on the yachts than only looking at it. To meet this demand while keeping up with the tradition, several yacht charters are providing a duplication of this ultimate royal experience to the people on reasonable rents, by incorporating luxury and finesse into an urban lifestyle. For example, a yacht charter company, MalaYachts offers this service in Dubai for both the inhabitants and thousands of tourists that visit Dubai each year. Small to comparatively larger groups and families can now opt to sail and cruise in a yacht of their own choice and enjoy the feel of splendid cruising.
