The Royal Navy’s amphibious flagship will visit Edinburgh for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee weekend.
HMS Albion will berth next to the Royal Yacht Britannia in Leith and will be involved in the Scottish capital’s celebrations marking the historical Platinum Jubilee.
Sailors and Royal Marines will attend ceremonies at Edinburgh Castle and celebrations in Princes Street Gardens, while the ship will host a royal event and be open to visitors.
Albion is an 18,500 tonne amphibious assault ship held at high readiness for operations around the world. She was deployed to the Arctic at the start of the year for the largest NATO exercises in the region for 30 years.
“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to be able to take part in Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in my home country of Scotland,” said Leading Engineering Technician Jordan Brown, from Eyemouth in the Scottish Borders.
“Her Majesty is ‘my boss’ so it’s nice to be able to honour her service and say thank you for her 70 years as our Queen.”
Captain Simon Kelly, Commanding Officer of HMS Albion, said: “I am delighted and honoured to have had the opportunity to bring Albion to Edinburgh and support the jubilee celebrations in Scotland’s capital city.
“As a proud maritime nation, the name of Her Majesty graces all Royal Navy ships and I am proud that my ship’s company are taking a leading role in celebrating this key national milestone.
“I am also looking forward to welcoming members of the public on board Albion, allowing them to see first-hand the capability provided by the UK’s high readiness amphibious assault ship, as well as joining my ship’s company in celebrating The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.”
On Thursday 2 June, the ship will start celebrations with a quayside concert with the Royal Marines Band and performers from the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, while sailors and marines will attend the Royal Gun Salute and Jubilee Beacon Lighting ceremonies at Edinburgh Castle.
On Friday 3 June, Albion will host a royal event thanking Scottish charities and organisations with connections to the royal family for their outstanding work.
On Saturday 4 June, the public, who have booked tickets for the now sold out event, will tour the ship and gain an understanding of her role in the Royal Navy.
Finally, on Sunday 5 June, sailors and Royal Marines will be at Princes Street Gardens for the open air concert.
Petty Officer Troy Dorsette, from St Vincent in the Caribbean, said: “Her Majesty has provided 70 years of loyal service to St Vincent and other Commonwealth Nations.
“To be able to help the Royal Navy say thank you during her Platinum Jubilee weekend is a huge honour, and to be able to do this in an historic city like Edinburgh is very exciting.”
