The Tuxedo Princess (ex-TSS Caledonian Princess) and Tuxedo Royale (ex-TSS Dover) were two former car ferries used as permanently moored floating nightclubs in the United Kingdom from the 1980s to the 2000s. Both ships saw use on the River Tyne in Newcastle upon Tyne at different times, while the Princess also saw use on the River Clyde in Glasgow, and the Royale on the River Tees in Middlesbrough.
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The Tuxedo Princess was the first of the two nightclubs, installed on the Tyne. When the Tuxedo Princess was briefly moved to Glasgow, the Tuxedo Royale took up her position. When the Tuxedo Princess returned, the Tuxedo Royale was moved to Middlesbrough.[1]
The idea of buying a second hand ship to serve as a floating nightclub to be moored on the Tyne originated with Tyneside based businessman Michael Quadrini, who already owned the popular Tuxedo Junction nightclub in Newcastle, and was looking for a larger venue.[1] And so he purchased the Caledonian Princess, renaming her the Tuxedo Princess, which had been a car ferry built in 1961, and retired from service 20 years later in 1981. The later Tuxedo Royale was also a former car ferry, the Dover, built in 1965.[1]
Originally the Tuxedo Princess was to be moored on the Newcastle side of the Tyne, but after failing to get planning consent, she was installed on the opposite side, on the Gateshead waterfront. When it first opened in December 1984, the club had a strict dress code for patrons, while the staff all wore naval uniforms.[1]
In December 2007 a farewell party for 300 invited guests was held on the Tuxedo Princess.[2] The ship was finally towed from her mooring on the Tyne on 27 July 2008.[3] Describing it as "the end of an era", according to the BBC there were mixed reactions to the removal of the Tuxedo Princess, citing one expressed view of nostalgia for the nightclub's role in the city's night life, and another welcoming removal of an eyesore, opening up new views of the bridges.[3] According to the Evening Chronicle, crowds gathered to watch the ship's departure.[2] The quayside area vacated by the Tuxedo Princess was to be redeveloped into a leisure, restaurant and office complex.[1]
According to the BBC, the Tuxedo Princess became a Tyneside icon during her stay in Newcastle, one of the most recognisable landmarks of the region, famous for its revolving dance floor created using the former ferry's car turntable.[1][3] According to the Evening Chronicle, in her heyday the Tuxedo Princess was "a celebrity haunt helping build Newcastle's reputation as a party city", and she became affectionately known as The Boat by Geordies.[2][4]
While moored in the Tyne, the Tuxedo Princess was host to several famous people including the Crown Prince of Denmark, playwright Andrew Lloyd Webber, actor Kevin Costner, DJ Noel Edmonds, comedian Freddie Starr, singers Mick Hucknall, Rick Astley, Nik Kershaw and Jason Donovan, pop group Frankie Goes to Hollywood, the cast of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, athlete Daley Thompson, cricketer Ian Botham, footballers Kevin Keegan and Paul Gascoigne, and snooker player Steve Davis.[1][2] She also played a role in the lives of famous Geordie people. Singer Cheryl Tweedy originally worked on the Tuxedo Princess before becoming a singer, while actor Tim Healy proposed to his future wife Denise Welch on board the club.[1]
In popular culture, the Tuxedo Princess was used by the BBC to film scenes for a storyline in the Newcastle based television drama Our Friends in the North, in which the character Terry 'Tosker' Cox (Mark Strong), a Tyneside businessman, opens a floating nightclub on the Tyne.[1]