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A yacht for the queen? Idea has Britons at odds

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, aboard the HMS Britannia in June 1994 as it led a flotilla on the journey to Normandy as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of the D-Day invasion. GERRY PENNY/AFP/Getty Images

(CBS) A government official's suggestion that Queen Elizabeth II be given a royal yacht for her diamond jubilee is causing some controversy in London.

Education Secretary Michael Gove has suggested spending $125 million in public funds on the yacht, which would replace the Britannia, decommissioned in 1997 because of its cost to the government.

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A staunch monarchist, Gove worries that the jubilee could be overshadowed by the 2012 Olympic Games to be held in London this summer and wants a tangible gift for the queen.

"Events such as proms and the party at the palace organised for the diamond jubilee, and street parties, although excellent, are transient," Gove wrote. "It would be appropriate to do something that will mark the significance of this occasion with fitting ceremony."

According to The Guardian, the idea of buying a yacht for one of the world's richest women was immediately blasted by some as extravagant and insensitive in a time when many Britons are out of work and struggling economically.

"When school budgets are being slashed, parents will be wondering how Gove came even to suggest this idea," said Tom Watson, Labour party vice-chairman.

Prime Minister David Cameron is behind the idea, the newspaper says, although he wants to finance it with private donations. Prince Charles and Princess Anne are reportedly in support of the privately funded gift.

The Britannia served the royal family for 44 years, according to an AFP report, carrying them on 968 official voyages around the world. Now a tourist attraction, it is permanently moored in Edinburgh's port of Leith.

A pre-wedding cocktail party for the queen's granddaughter Zara Phillips and her rugby star husband was held aboard the vessel in July.

Jubilee events in June include a royal trip down the Thames with a luxury cruiser, the Spirit of Chartwell, serving as a royal barge.

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