Cunard has promised a "spectacular event" when its newest ship comes to Liverpool for her naming ceremony.
The Queen Anne ship is currently nearing completion in an Italian shipyard and she will be brought to Liverpool in June for her naming ceremony, as she is taken on a 'lap of honour' around the British Isles. Plans are being made for her arrival to include a special salute to the city where Cunard’s transatlantic service – and passenger shipping itself – was launched in 1840.
The event will include a number of surprise celebrations at the Pier Head, with the Cunard Building as the focal point. Busted musician Matt Willis and his wife Emma will host the event, which will include a number of performances from entertainers surrounding the official naming, as Queen Anne makes her maiden call into the city, seen as Cunard’s spiritual home.
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READ MORE: Inside Cunard's newest cruise ship coming to Liverpool for huge naming ceremony
About the naming celebration, Cunard vice president Angus Struthers told the ECHO: "Queen Anne will have her maiden voyage around the British Isles, beginning on May 24, it will be a 14-night voyage. The absolute highlight of that voyage will be the naming ceremony and we're absolutely delighted to once again be working with our friends in Liverpool.
"Every time we host an event in Liverpool, it attracts tens of thousands of people. I'm expecting that this event will be no different as we mark the arrival of our new Queen into our spiritual home.
"Liverpool and Cunard are forever interwoven. Cunard was born in Liverpool in 1840 and our headquarters was in the Cunard Building – it truly is a very special place for Cunard".
The formal naming will be the focal point of a day of celebration for Queen Anne. It will be hosted by Busted musician Matt Willis and his wife Emma. The event is expected to draw tens of thousands of spectators to vantage points alongside the river at the Pier Head, between New Brighton and Seacombe on Wirral and on beaches at Formby and Crosby.
Cunard ships have previously attracted more than a million spectators to the banks of the Mersey, first for the maiden call of the QE2 in July 1990, and in 2015 for the Three Queens ‘royal rendezvous’ in front of the Cunard Building, which celebrated the 175th anniversary of the cruise line. Mr Struthers said that this year's event will be as "spectacular" as those which have come before.
Inside Cunard's newest cruise ship coming to Liverpool for huge naming ceremony
He said: "The ship will come down the Mersey, past Formby and Crosby, in the early hours – but it won't be too early for people to come out and see it. The ceremony then will be happening at the Pier Head in the afternoon – our hosts will be Emma and Matt Willis and we're delighted to be working with them.
"Rest assured, anytime that Cunard partners with Culture LPL and Liverpool City Council, the events are spectacular. We'll have events happening throughout the day, it will be great."
He added: "Watch this space. We’re really excited to be announcing more in the coming months."
Further details on Queen Anne's visit will be published in due course.
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