Royal Yacht Britannia set to celebrate Queen's 90th birthday

But in spite of all she’s seen and done, the Queen would doubtless concede this is a bit of a milestone year.

Next month Her Majesty becomes the first reigning monarch to reach 90. The huge number of planned events are sure to increase interest in all things regal.

That will include the tourist attractions throughout Scotland with a royal connection.

And prime among them, as always, will be The Royal Yacht Britannia.

The Queen’s former floating palace, the Royal Yacht served for over 40 years and sailed over one million miles around the world.

Now berthed in Edinburgh, you can discover the heart and soul of this most special of Royal residences.

For 10 years in a row it has been Scotland’s best visitor attraction (according to VisitScotland).

It’s no surprise. From the moment you step aboard there’s a real feeling of class.

Yes, we enjoyed a look around the bridge and the admiral’s cabin, the state dining room and even the garage built to house the royal Roller.

But, like everybody, the real fascination was with getting a peek at where the Royal Family unwound and spent their time.

There’s the verandah deck where Prince Philip would paint, while there was a paddling pool for the children.

The sun lounge, the Queen’s favourite room, was where she regularly had breakfast and afternoon tea while enjoying the views through the big picture windows.

It’s the only place where you can see a living monarch’s bedroom.

You can understand why the Queen described the Royal Yacht as the “one place I can truly relax”.

And if there’s one figure that sticks in the mind as to how the other half live, it’s that Her Majesty and her

45 attendant staff would bring on board five tonnes of luggage.

Try the excess baggage charges on that for your next Mediterranean cruise!

Having played such an important role in the Queen’s life, Britannia will be celebrating Her Majesty’s 90th birthday year in style.

There will be a host of activities including complimentary cake and a glass of fizz on her birthday, April 21, as well as marking the national birthday celebrations on June 12.

And if you share the same birthday, you can board for free by showing proof of your birth date when purchasing your tickets.

With global attention on the celebrations the yacht is one of the places that VisitScotland is suggesting as a photo opportunity for its new #ScotSpirit tourism campaign.

It’s just one of the attractions where you can get the Royal seal of approval.

The Palace of Holyrood House is, of course, the Queen’s official residence in Scotland.

Standing at the end of Edinburgh’s Royal Mile against the backdrop of Arthur’s Seat, the setting could hardly be more spectacular.

You can sense the history in the Royal Apartments where Her Majesty hosts state ceremonies.

The 90th birthday will also see the Palace host the largest exhibition of the Queen’s clothes ever shown in Scotland.

But Her Majesty’s love of Scotland can be best experienced at Balmoral.

Such is the attraction it has even been said that the Queen’s annual schedule may just be in for a bit of a tweaking to ensure even more of her time can be spent there.

The Royals have enjoyed the 50,000 acres of heather-clad hills and ancient woodland ever since Queen Victoria bought it in 1848.

You can get a look at what makes it all so special when the grounds, gardens and special exhibitions open on Friday until the end of July.

And no Royal highlights tour would be complete without ticking off Glamis Castle.

It was the family home of the Queen Mother and the Queen spent many a happy childhood moment there.

Queen’s birthday set to be marked with fashion exhibition