The Duchess of Cornwall will officially name Cunard’s new luxury liner, the Queen Victoria, at a ceremony in Southampton today (10.12.07).
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Hundreds of guests are due to attend the ceremony to watch Camilla, accompanied by her husband the Prince of Wales, name the vessel. They will then enjoy a gala dinner on board the 1,000ft long, 18-deck cruise liner. The 90,000-tonne ship – built at Italy’s Fincantieri shipyard – will carry 2,000 passengers and 1,000 crew.
After being officially named, the Queen Victoria will leave its home port of Southampton tomorrow (11.12.07) for its maiden voyage, a 10-day cruise around northern Europe.
Though it is smaller than the 150,000-tonne QM2, Cunard boasts the Queen Victoria as its most luxurious ship to date, equipped with an 830-seat theatre, seven restaurants, three swimming pools, a 6,000-book library and a casino.
Camilla will be the first non-monarch to launch or name a Cunard ‘Queen’. Queen Elizabeth launched the QE2 in 1967 and named the Queen Mary 2 (QM2) at a ceremony in Southampton in 2004.
Queen Mary launched the first Queen Mary in 1934, while the Queen Mother, the Queen Elizabeth, launched the first Queen Elizabeth in 1938.
American shipping company Cunard operate ocean liners the QE2 and the QM2. With the QE2 still in service until the end of next year, the three Cunard queens will be brought together in New York next month – one of the stops the Queen Victoria will be making on its first world cruise.
