One of only a handful of official royal yachts still being sailed in Europe, Norge was given to King Haakon VII as a present by the people of Norway in 1947. Here she is sailing close to the Tower of Belem in Portugal, during a three-day trip in 2008.
1. One of only a handful of official royal yachts still being sailed in Europe, Norge was given to King Haakon VII as a present by the people of Norway in 1947. Here she is sailing close to the Tower of Belem in Portugal, during a three-day trip in 2008.
2. A sailor salutes his crew member in front of Denmark's royal yacht, Dannebrog. Launched in October 1931, she is named after the Danish flag, and is still regularly used by the royal family.
3. The second largest yacht in the world, the extravagant Dubai is owned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai and prime minister of the UAE. Pools, hot tubs, a squash room, three elevators and a submarine can all apparently be found onboard.
4. Grace Kelly stands with Prince Rainier III of Monaco on the principality's royal yacht, Deo Juvante II, in 1956, shortly before their wedding. The yacht was a gift to the couple from the shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis, but passed into private hands in 1958.
5. The Qatari royal family own the superyacht Stargate, an 80-metre extravaganza shown here in her home port of Palma, Majorca.
6. The Spanish royal family are keen sailors, often taking part in sailing competitions in the summer. This picture shows Queen Sofia with her daughter-in-law Princess Letizia and grandsons on board their yacht, Fortuna, which is also owned by the state.
7. Meteor III was a private yacht belonging to Kaiser Wilhem II, Germany's last emperor. Built in America and launched and christened by Theodore Roosevelt's daughter Alice in 1902, the yacht was sold just seven years later.
8. The Dutch crown prince Willem-Alexander waves with his mother Queen Beatrix from De Groene Draeck. The boat was an 18th birthday gift to Queen Beatrix from the nation, though there has been heated debate in the last few years about the cost of its maintenance.
9. The largest of many yachts built for the Russian royal family, Standart was commissioned by Emperor Alexander III in the 1890s. After the fall of the Romanovs, she was converted into a naval ship, and sent to lay mines during the Second World War. This picture shows Russia's last tsar, Nicholas II, with his family onboard in 1910.
10. A predecessor to the most recent royal yacht, Britannia, the Victoria and Albert was built after Queen Victoria successfully petitioned Parliament for a more modern boat. Sadly, the Queen died seven months before completion, but the ship went on to serve four more sovereigns.
11. The world's third largest yacht, Al Said, dwarfs a local boat in Muttrah Harbour, Muscat. The boat was built in 2006-7, and is the property of Sultan Qaboos of Oman.
12. The Saudi royal family own a number of yachts, but Prince Abdulaziz is one of the most decadent. With a lobby said to be almost a complete replica of the Titanic's, the boat retained its title of largest yacht in the world for over two decades.
13. And finally to Britannia, Britain's last royal yacht, pictured here being watched by the late Queen Mother and Countess of Snowdon in 1954. The boat was launched by the Queen in 1953, and sailed the world until finally being retired in 1997. Plans to build a new yacht to commemorate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee are
