Queen offered to ditch Britannia

Britannia was still in service in Hong Kong in 1997

The Queen secretly offered to give up the Royal Yacht Britannia more than 30 years ago.

Official papers released under the 30-year rule show she approached Harold Wilson's Labour government with the idea to help with spending cuts.

But she was turned down amid concerns that the move would be deeply unpopular with the nation.

Wilson turned down the Queen's offer

The offer is revealed in a letter to the then prime minister from the Queen's private secretary, Sir Michael Adeane, dated 2 January, 1968.

In it he wrote: "During the last few weeks Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh have been thinking about the ways in which they might be able to help the country during its present economic difficulties.

"They have in mind the value of an example as much as that of some tangible saving.

"As a result, I am to say that the Queen hopes that you and the Secretary of State for Defence may feel free to consider the future of the Royal Yacht in connection with any discussions which you may be undertaking about the Armed Services."

Secret offer

Another letter released to the Public Record Office shows the then Defence Secretary Denis Healey - whose budget covered Britannia - warned Harold Wilson that it was essential that the details of the Queen's offer were kept secret because spending cuts were already causing unrest.

His private secretary wrote to 10 Downing Street.

"Given the pressure on the Defence Budget and the more wide-ranging drive for economies in public expenditure, the Defence Secretary thinks that it would be disadvantageous politically, and particularly so close to the Budget, to acknowledge that the future of the Royal Yacht had been put at the Government's disposal and that the offer was not being taken up."