Tenby's new lifeboat may yet still have a high profile person at its naming ceremony when the Tamar class vessel arrives early next year, even though they may not be of Royal decent. The first operational Tamar, the Haydn Miller, is due to go on service at Tenby in Spring 2006, but although previous RNLI ceremonies in the town have had a member of the royal family attend to do the naming honours, it is likely that won't be the case for the Tamar. "A full dedication ceremony in the usual RNLI tradition will take place, but it has not yet been decided who will be invited to officially name the new lifeboat," said an RNLI spokesperson. "This will be an enjoyable and proud occasion for the town and for the RNLI, as it celebrates the dedication of a new design of lifeboat. Tenby's outgoing lifeboat, the RFA Sir Galahad, was named by HRH Princess Alexandra on September 29, 1986. The last Royal naming ceremony in Wales was at Holyhead in 2004. "The RNLI is very fortunate to enjoy Royal patronage. Attendance by members of the Royal family at events has to be planned well in advance to make best use of their time and the RNLI is careful to try to ensure a fair distribution across the 232 lifeboat stations," added the spokesperson.
