Sarah Bretz, ContributorCunard has officially christened its newest ship, Queen Anne, and also finally revealed who the godparent of the ship is: the City of Liverpool.
That’s right, the godparent of the ship is the city of Liverpool itself. On behalf of the city, the line chose five Liverpool icons to represent the city and name Queen Anne. They are Spice Girl and author Melanie C, broadcaster and community leader Ngunan Adamu, local restaurant entrepreneur Natalie Haywood, Liverpool music and cultural legend Jayne Casey, and British Olympian heptathlon athlete Katarina Johnson-Thomson.
Cunard refers to Liverpool as its spiritual home, as the city was the birthplace of Cunard with its first transatlantic crossing departing 184 years ago in July 1840. Liverpool was the company’s headquarters for 128 years. Cunard was also awarded the honor of The Freedom of the City in 2015.
The Christening of Queen Anne
Tens of thousands of people gathered along the waterfront today to witness the naming ceremony, a traditional believed to bestow good fortune upon the new vessel. The proceedings opened with a performance by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra before event hosts, Matt and Emma Willis, took to the stage to oversee the ceremony.
They joined Cunard President Katie McAlister, and Captain Inger Klein Thorhauge for a special naming ceremony, where they officially introduced Queen Anne to her spiritual home. As part of the ceremony, they smashed a bottle of champagne against the hull — the 249th ship to carry the Cunard name.
The ceremony concluded with a performance by operatic legend Andrea Bocelli, including his iconic song “Time to Say Goodbye.”
“Liverpool is the spiritual home of Cunard, and we are therefore delighted and feel it very fitting that the City of Liverpool is the godparent to Queen Anne,” said Katie McAlister. It is a testament to the enduring relationship that connects Cunard and the city in which it was founded to the present day when we officially named our new ship on the Liverpool Waterfront, in front of the Cunard Building. We are equally delighted to have our five chosen Liverpool icons represent the city in the ceremony. All remarkable in their own right, they have inspired generations and collectively capture the essence of the city that has shaped global culture.”
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