Throughout her time on the throne, Queen Elizabeth II has spent plenty of time on board boats in her role as Commander in Chief of the British Royal Navy. We round up the best photos of The Queen at sea throughout her lifetime and during her 70-year reign as British Monarch.
Royal Yacht Victoria and Albert
During the British Fleet Review on May 20, 1937 at Spithead, UK, Queen Elizabeth takes to sea on the Royal Yacht HMY Victoria and Albert. Launched in 1899, HMY Victoria and Albert measured 128 metres and was in service from 1901 to 1939. This picture shows a young Princess Elizabeth with her parents King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in conversation with the Duke of Kent and Lord Louis Mountbatten.
Pamir
Princess Elizabeth boards the New Zealand four masted Barque Pamir in London's Shadwell Basin on March 3, 1948. Built by Blohm & Voss and launched in 1905, Pamir was seized as a war prize by the New Zealand government during World War II and would go on to be the last commercial sailing ship to round Cape Horn. Here the Princess is seen at the helm talking to Captain Collier.
SS Gothic
A year after her coronation, Queen Elizabeth II became the first, and so far the only reigning British monarch to visit Australia during her Royal Tour. On February 20, 1954, The Queen sails into Hobart Harbour in Tasmania with her husband Prince Philip on board the SS Gothic. Originally launched as a passenger-cargo ship in 1947, SS Gothic was the designated Royal Yacht for the tour.
Lady Maurine
Lady Maurine, which was built at a local Hong Kong shipyard in 1952, transports Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip into Kowloon Harbour on May 4, 1975 during their Royal Tour of East Asia.
Tuvalu Canoes
Between October 26 and 27, 1982, Queen Elizabeth visited the South Pacific island of Tuvalu for which she is the reigning monarch. During her tour with the The Duke of Edinburgh, she was carried around on traditional ceremonial canoes and later dined on local dishes at a banquet.
QE2
The Queen is pictured in the bridge of the cruise liner named in her honour, the Queen Elizabeth II, in Southampton on July 27, 1990. Referred to as the QE2, the ship was launched in 1967 for the Cunard line until 2008. The cruise ship is now a floating hotel in Dubai, UAE, since 2018.
HMY Britannia
The Queen boards the Royal Yacht HMY Britannia in 1995 for a cruise around the Outer Hebrides islands of Western Scotland. The 126 metre HMY Britannia served as the Queen's royal yacht from 1954 to 1997 and often hosted the Royal Family in August during their off-duty holidays. Plans have now been announced to commission a new national flagship.
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The Queen is escorted on board luxury cruise ship Hebridean Princess by Captain Michael Hepburn on July 21, 2006. Here, Queen Elizabeth II is embarking from Port Ellen in Argyll, Scotland, for a week of cruising around the Western Isles with her family to celebrate her 80th birthday.
Pure Adrenalin
The Queen cruises down the Brisbane River in Australia during a royal boat tour on October 24, 2011. She is pictured on board Pure Adrenalin, a 26.7 metre luxury motor yacht delivered by Azzura in 2002. True to her name, Pure Adrenalin can reach thrilling speeds of up to 28 knots, though the catamaran was surely travelling at a more relaxed pace on this day. Up to nine guests and four crew can be accommodated on board.
Spirit of Chartwell
On June 3, 2012, The Queen commemorates the 60th anniversary of her coronation with the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant. She leads a historic flotilla of 1000 boats along London's famous river, past the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben on board the Royal Barge, Spirit of Chartwell. The cruise barge was specially refitted for the event, lavishly decorated in red, gold and purple in the fashion of royal barges from the 17th and 18th centuries. The redecorations also included the addition of a gilded bowsprit depicting Old Father Thames. Various Royal Family members joined her for the procession, including her husband Prince Philip and son and daughter-in-law Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.
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