Cunard reveals latest details for Queen Anne maiden voyage to Liverpool
Maritime giant, Cunard, has revealed further details of its historic visit to Liverpool this June when its latest cruise liner, Queen Anne, will be officially named in a high profile star-studded ceremony.
Cunard’s pioneering transatlantic service – and passenger shipping itself – was launched in 1840, where the iconic Cunard Building, its former headquarters, now Liverpool City Council offices, forms the centrepiece of the Three Graces.
Queen Anne, which was built in Italy, is embarking on her 3,000-guest maiden cruise which will take the form of a ‘lap of honour’ of the British Isles.
The 14-night voyage departs Southampton on May 24, with maiden calls to South Queensferry, Greenock, Kirkwall, Invergordon, Belfast, Cork, and Liverpool.
Queen Anne will arrive in Cunard’s spiritual home on June 3, for a spectacular naming ceremony in what promises to be the most eagerly awaited port call of the exclusive voyage.
The momentous spectacle will be hosted by TV personalities Matt and Emma Willis, who will introduce dazzling performances from the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts.
Cunard has also announced the celebrity line-up for the cruise, which includes signing up former WBC heavyweight champion, Frank Bruno, to its Insightful Speaker programme.
Other special guests on the voyage include legendary musician Midge Ure and West End and Broadway star Rachel Tucker, who will be performing live.
Olivier award-winning actress Celia Imrie will also be hosting an Insight talk.
The event in Liverpool is expected to draw tens of thousands of spectators to vantage points alongside the river at Pier Head, between New Brighton and Seacombe on Wirral and on beaches at Formby and Crosby in Sefton.
A live global broadcast will ensure the eyes of the world once again fall on a Cunard event in Liverpool.
Cunard ships have previously attracted more than one million spectators to the banks of the Mersey, first for the maiden call of the renowned QE2 in July 1990, and in 2015 for the Three Queens’ ‘royal rendezvous’ in front of the Cunard Building to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the most famous name in shipping.
Katie McAlister, President of Cunard, said: “Cunard has an incredible bond with the city of Liverpool. It is where our founder Sir Samuel Cunard began his Transatlantic line in 1840, so what better place to officially name our new ship than somewhere that holds so many special memories?
“Queen Anne is the next in a fine line for our brand and she will be bursting with breathtaking moments around every corner, evolving our core values of luxury, sophistication, and glamour. Liverpool is known the world over as Cunard’s spiritual home and we are all so excited for the city to see Queen Anne up close on her maiden call.”
