Duchess Kate Deemed Captain Of Ship After William Navigates Too Close To Yacht


Prince William and Kate Middleton had a day full of maritime discovery, and the royal couple even took turns at the helm navigating into a harbor. They got a good look at William’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II’s ship from high above the deck, and Kate was given the helm of another ship after William joked about taking aim and possibly hitting a yacht.

While it may sound as if Prince William was taking risks when piloting a ship into harbor, and Kate was the better captain of the two, it was all done in virtual reality at the Hamburg Maritime Museum. A scale-sized model of the Royal Yacht Britannia was completed just two days before Kate and William visited the museum, so they got to see it from an aerial view while looking down at the huge model in its glass case.

Prince William was a bit nostalgic when seeing his grandmother’s ship for the first time in its scaled-down version, as he had vacationed on board that yacht as a child. The Britannia is no longer a ship the royal family uses, as it was decommissioned 20 years ago. But the model, which was built by the grandson of the man who founded the Hamburg Maritime Museum, was exquisitely done.

According to the Daily Mail, the model of the Britannia was commissioned long before Kate and William were scheduled to visit the museum. Christian Hinneborg, 30, was the artist who painstakingly created this large model, which took 3-months to complete.

While he was quite taken with his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II’s ship in the glass case, William said he’d only been on board the royal yacht a few times as a kid, but he remembered it well. Seeing the ship in all its past glory was a sight welcomed by both Kate and William.

At one point William was at the virtual helm of a cargo ship simulator, attempting to navigate the ship into the harbor and he jokingly said, “Let’s see if I can hit that yacht!” That is when the museum staff handed the helm over to Kate, deeming her the captain and directed her to sound the fog horn.

The royal couple looked as if they really enjoyed their day at the maritime museum, which was one of their stops during their trip to Germany.

[Featured Image by KGC-178/STAR MAX/IPx/AP Images]

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