Queen Elizabeth sheds a rare tear at the decommissioning of the royal yacht Britannia in 1997.
WHAT do you get for a monarch who has almost everything? Not, apparently, a new yacht, at least not one paid for with taxpayer funds.
That was the message as a brief boomlet of support for the idea of giving Queen Elizabeth a new royal yacht to mark her diamond jubilee was quickly deflated by Prime Minister David Cameron.
It is estimated that a new yacht would cost at least £60 million ($A89.73 million).
Mr Cameron's spokesman, Steve Field, said it would not be appropriate for public funds to be spent on a new yacht during times of economic hardship. But he said the government would be supportive of private efforts to provide a new ship for the queen.
He acknowledged that ministers had been approached about plans to raise donations for a privately funded vessel and that the government would be favourable to a firm plan.
Mr Cameron has been contacted ov
er the proposals and Britain's government could play a role in facilitating the construction of a new royal flagship - even though no taxpayer money would be used.
''I don't think anyone is suggesting public money should be used for this,'' Mr Field said. ''There is a difficult economic situation, there are scarce public resources, therefore we don't think it would be an appropriate use of public money.''
The idea of a new royal yacht was proposed by Education Secretary Michael Gove, who suggested in a leaked letter that the Queen should receive a replacement for the royal yacht Britannia, which was decommissioned in 1997 after 44 years as a floating royal residence known to have been cherished by the Queen.
Mr Gove's idea was that a new yacht would be a fitting way for the nation to mark the queen's 60th anniversary on the throne, her diamond jubilee, which falls on February 6.
Royal watchers remember that one of the few times she has shown emotion in public was when she shed a tear (left) at the decommissioning of the Britannia, which is now berthed in Edinburgh as a tourist display.
It is not clear if the 85-year-old Queen even wants a new yacht. Buckingham Palace officials said they would not be commenting on the matter.
AP, NEW YORK TIMES
