London - The royal barge on which the Queen sailed to celebrate her diamond jubilee last year is to be transformed into a luxury cruise boat for tourists in Portugal.
The Spirit of Chartwell has been bought by a Portuguese company and will be used to ferry passengers along the Douro River near the city of Porto.
The barge, which underwent a massive makeover for the Thames river pageant, carried the queen and the Duke of Edinburgh in the 1 000-strong flotilla from Battersea to Tower Bridge last June.
The boat’s new owner, river cruise company DouroAzul, said it planned to “keep the charm” of the vessel after moving it to Portugal.
Mario Ferreira, chief executive of DouroAzul, said the Portuguese region provided the “perfect surrounding” for the famous barge.
“I saw the glamour of the images of the jubilee,” he said.
“I saw the royal barge was so big and thought, ‘what are they going to do with it afterwards?’
“I think the Douro Valley is the perfect surrounding. The ambience, our culture, the alliance between Portugal and England for more than 100 years. I think it’s a great home for the vessel.”
The Spirit of Chartwell was lavishly decorated for the queen’s diamond jubilee in red, gold and purple, reminiscent of royal barges of the 17th and 18th century.
Among the additions were thousands of flowers, an ornate gilded prow sculpture of Old Father Thames, and a large red velvet banner with a royal coat of arms made of more than half a million gold-coloured buttons.
It took six months of work to turn the pleasure cruiser into a boat that was suitable for the unique occasion, but it was entirely stripped just days after its role in the jubilee.
Ferreira said most of the interior decorations had been retained but a new front to the barge has been installed.
The 64m long vessel features 14 luxurious cabins, a royal suite, a restaurant, a piano bar and a spacious open-air upper-deck.
Prices will range from £362 (R5 000) for a two-night cruise to £2 129 for a seven-night cruise.
“It is important to keep the charm that it has because it’s a very charming vessel”, Ferreira said.
“The original front is in a museum in England so we have a second one to keep the spirit.
“The interior is as it was – most of the rooms weren’t even used, they were still brand new.
“It’s a great opportunity for the people that saw that event and saw that beautiful vessel to come and experience it, have a relaxed trip and be treated like royalty.” – Daily Mail