HMS Serapis was originally a Royal Navy troopship. It was seconded from Indian service to transport the Prince of Wales and his entourage to and around India. According to George Wheeler, a journalist for Central News who travelled to India to report on the Prince's tour, the ship resembled a ‘palace upon the waters’. The ship and its furniture were decorated with the crest and motto of the Order of the Star of India, ‘Heaven’s Light Our Guide’. This Order had been created by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert to strengthen ties with the Indian rulers.