Overview
- Files show British ambassador Veronica Sutherland proposed Charles sail HMY Britannia into Galway Bay on June 28, 1996, host guests aboard, then continue privately to Kerry and Cork.
- Government secretary Frank Murray warned the itinerary had become “rather more elaborate” than first discussed and noted proceeding would hinge on political or security assessments.
- Then taoiseach John Bruton wrote that the yacht would convey “opulence and superiority” and risk reviving debate about the Treaty ports, urging a simple flight to a regional airport instead.
- Planners concluded the risks outweighed benefits without an IRA ceasefire, and the 1996 programme was confined to Northern Ireland with stops in Belfast and Londonderry.
- The documents also note Britannia’s subsequent 1997 decommissioning and a 2003 decision by Bertie Ahern to refuse HMS Ark Royal a Dublin berth over concerns about displaying British naval power.