If the UK newspaper Mirror is correct, look for Sir Donald Gosling’s superyacht Leander to host Queen Elizabeth II next June.
Specifically, the Queen is celebrating her Diamond Jubilee, marking 60 years of reign. It’s quite a big deal: The only other British monarch to celebrate one was Queen Victoria in 1897. Buckingham Palace is therefore coordinating a series of events from June 2 to 5. These include the Diamond Jubilee Pageant on the 3rd. It’s a gathering of up to 1,000 boats, yachts, and superyachts along the River Thames. There, the Queen will lead the flotilla, one of the largest ever gathered.
The official illustration commissioned by the Royal Household (below) shows the Queen on a barge. However, talk arose about Leander for a few reasons. First, the Queen no longer has an official yacht, following the retirement of Britannia back in 1997. Second, a cruise ship that she has used for previous trips will not be available. Last, but not least, the Mirror quotes a friend of Gosling’s as saying, “He will always do anything he can to offer his services to Queen and country.”
Indeed: Gosling hosted the Queen aboard the 75-meter (246-foot) Leander for lunch in May. Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles also made official visits to various Caribbean islands aboard Leander in early 2008. Furthermore, Gosling is a proud Brit, having served aboard a Royal Navy ship, the HMS Leander, during World War II. It is this ship that inspired him to christen his yacht Leander. (He purchased her shortly after selling his interest in National Car Parks, which he co-founded, in 1988.)
We’ll have to wait and see whether Leander and her crew of 25 are tapped for official duty. In the meantime, you can register your yacht to join the Diamond Jubilee Pageant.
UPDATE, JULY 24: It’s now official; Leander is on loan to the Queen. The Mail of Sunday newspaper quotes Gosling as saying the megayacht will be provided for free: “I wouldn’t expect a fee for something that is on behalf of the nation.” A source close to the Royal Family further adds, “The Queen is delighted. She used to love to entertain on the Royal Yacht and she will love this. Leander, we understand, is to have a bit of a facelift, but it is a style she loves – quite old-fashioned, quite chintzy.”
Scottish Independence
Hate to be picky but technically her title isn’t “Queen of England” as she was never named as the Queen of England in her coronation.