Aroyal barge is avessel that is used by amonarch for ceremonial processions, and (historically) for routine transport, usually on a river or inland waterway. It may also be known as astate barge, and may be used on occasion by other members of a royal family,heads of state, or particularVIPs.
Traditionally royal barges were used by European monarchies such asUnited Kingdom,France,Belgium, andSweden, and Southeast Asian monarchies such asSiam,Burma,Brunei,Riau andCambodia.
In more recent years, royal barges have only been used in the United Kingdom, Sweden and Thailand.
In the 19th century, when a head of state visited a port city, it was traditional to invite them aboard a royal barge. This was why the Belgian government decided, on the recommendation of theKing Leopold I, to have the Lecarpentier shipyards inAntwerp build a royal barge. Launched on 12 July 1835,Canot Royal carried the royal couple for the first time fromBrussels to Antwerp via theRupel to watch a military flotilla. Subsequently, Leopold I used theCanot Royal during his various trips to Antwerp,Ghent andOstend. On 10 July 1862, in Antwerp, theCanot Royal broughtPrince Louis of Hesse and his wifePrincess Alice to the quay on the occasion of their honeymoon aboard the British Royal YachtVictoria and Albert.
On 5 November 1899,RV Belgica returned to Antwerp.Canot Royal picked upAdrien de Gerlache and his mate,Georges Lecointe, to bring them aboard the mail shipPrincess Clémentine, where government officials and their close families waited to greet them. On 7 December 1901, theCanot Royal was retired and disassembled. Parts of theCanot Royal are kept at theRoyal Military Museum and atRoyal Palace of Brussels.[1][2]
In 2022 L'Atelier Marin/Maritiem Atelier announced plans to make a replica of the royal barge.[3]
The royal barge, calledphaungdaw (ဖောင်တော်), was of historic importance during the monarchical era, and retains cultural significance in modern-day Myanmar (Burma).
TheKaraweik barge on Yangon'sKandawgyi Lake and an iconic symbol of the city, was designed by Burmese architect Ngwe Hlaing, and was based on a royal barge.[4]
Hpaung Daw U Pagoda, which is situated onInle Lake, is known for a majorpagoda festival during which four of the Buddha images from the pagoda are placed on a royal barge designed as ahintha bird and taken throughoutInle Lake.
The royal barge was an important ceremonial possession of the Burmese monarchy, and was used for ceremonial and state affairs, such as a procession around the royal palace moat following a monarch's coronation. By theKonbaung dynasty, several types of royal state barges existed, each distinguished by a specific mythicalfigurehead at the front of the barge, and each allocated to different members of the royal court:
The elaborate figureheads and motifs used in Burmese royal barges influenced the construction of increasingly elaborate Siamese royal barges toward the end of theAyutthaya period.[6]
Vasaorden [sv] (TheOrder of Vasa) is the Swedish royal barge. The original royal barge of this name was built in 1774 on the orders ofKing Gustav III, to a design byFredrik Henrik af Chapman, but was destroyed in a dockyard fire in 1921. A private fundraising led to a new barge being constructed in 1923 with the help of the old blueprints. TheVasaorden is owned and operated by the Swedish Navy, is equipped with nine pairs of oars, and is used on special occasions such as state visits and royal weddings.[7][8][9]
TheRoyal Barge Procession is a ceremony of both religious and royal significance which has been taking place for nearly 700 years. Some of the royal barges are kept at theNational Museum of Royal Barges.
The Thames was a regular thoroughfare for the sovereign until the middle of the 19th century, on state occasions or between the royal palaces of Windsor, Westminster, Hampton Court, Greenwich and the Tower of London. The travel of the monarch by barge is managed by theKing's Bargemaster and Royal Watermen, chosen from theCompany of Watermen and Lightermen. Though there is currently no official state barge, a number of boats in recent years have stepped into the role of Royal Barge for various specific ceremonies and occasions:[10]
Until 2017[11] theRoyal Nore, owned and maintained by the Port of London Authority, was used whenever a member of the royal family travelled on the River Thames for an official engagement.[12]
TheRoyal Standard and regalia were displayed whenQueen Elizabeth was on board. The Queen was always accompanied by herBargemaster, along with eight Royal Watermen in full ceremonial dress standing on the fore deck.[13]
Royal Nore was at the centre of the River Progress and Pageant held to celebrate the Queen'sSilver Jubilee in June 1977. At the time the vessel was namedNore; she was subsequently renamedRoyal Nore in recognition of her service, by royal command.[11] She is permanently berthed atOcean Terminal,Leith, in Edinburgh, Scotland, alongside the similarly retired royal yacht,HMYBritannia.
The RoyalShallopJubilant was built for theGolden Jubilee of Elizabeth II that took place in 2002. The vessel itself was modelled on theNaval Victualling Commissioners’ Barge held at theNational Maritime Museum. It was designed with accessibility in mind, to help those with disabilities and disadvantages take part inrowing.[14][15]
A new royal barge namedGloriana was built in 2011–2012 to mark theQueen's Diamond Jubilee.Gloriana is designated as a royal rowbarge, but is also known as The Queen's Rowbarge (QRB Gloriana). The vessel is normally manoeuvred by 18 crew pullingsitka spruce oars, but it also has two electric motors powered by lithium batteries, which can be used separately or in conjunction with the rowing crew. At theThames Diamond Jubilee Pageant on 3 June 2012, Glorianna took a leading position in the flotilla, but did not fly theRoyal Standard on that day, because Queen Elizabeth II travelled aboard theMV Spirit of Chartwell, which acted as royal barge for the occasion.[16][17]
TheRoyal Barge was atender forHMY Britannia traditionally used to transport the royal family to and from the royal yacht. As part of theQueen's Diamond Jubilee, the vessel was re-commissioned to take part in the Thames Pageant. The vessel carried the Queen to and from the largerSpirit of Chartwell, along with two Royal Watermen in full ceremonial dress. After the pageant the vessel was returned to Leith to sit on display alongside the Royal YachtBritannia.[18][19]
During the celebrations on 3 June 2012, the Queen travelled aboard theMVSpirit of Chartwell, which acted as royal barge for the occasion.[20] A special warrant was issued by the Secretary of State for Defence to permit the MVSpirit of Chartwell to wear theWhite Ensign whilst serving as the Royal Barge on 3 June 2012.[21] When the Queen was on board, it also flew theRoyal Standard of the United Kingdom from the bow.
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