HMY Royal Escape was a royal yacht used by King Charles II. She was a former coastal trader, a brig named Surprise. King Charles took passage on the Surprise after the final defeat of the royalist cause in 1651, narrowly avoiding pursuing Parliamentarian forces. He arrived safely in France, where he lived in exile until the Restoration in 1660. On his return Charles purchased the ship he had travelled on, naming her after his escape from England nearly a decade before. He kept her moored close to his palace, showing her to other royals. The ship remained on the Navy Lists for many years, being sold finally in 1750, though several other vessels perpetuated the name until 1877.