Cunard has confirmed its next cruise ship Queen Elizabeth is to be christened by its namesake, Queen Elizabeth II.
The ship is not named after the reigning monarch but after Cunard’s original Queen Elizabeth, launched in Scotland 1938. The Queen – then Princess Elizabeth, and 12 years old – witnessed the launch in the company of her mother.
The new Queen Elizabeth will be the third Cunard ship to bear the name. It will be officially named at a glittering ceremony in Southampton on October 11 ahead of its inaugural voyage.
Peter Shanks, Cunard president and managing director, said: “The naming of a Cunard Queen is a very special occasion and this will be an historic event in the true sense of the word.
“The Queen launched Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth 2 in 1967 and named our current flagship, Queen Mary 2, in 2004. We are both honoured and proud that Her Majesty will name our new liner Queen Elizabeth.”
The last Cunard ship to launch, Queen Victoria, was named by the Duchess of Cornwall in 2008 with the Prince of Wales in attendance.
The Queen first named a Cunard ship as Princess Elizabeth in 1947, when she was godmother to Caronia, the ship that became known as the Green Goddess.
Travel Weekly recently gave away 30 places at the royal naming of Queen Elizabeth in an exclusive competition with Cunard. The winners will be announced shortly.
The historic line has invited hundreds of travel trade partners onto the ship for celebrations in Southampton during the weekend of October 9-10.