Queen christens QM2
The Queen yesterday officially christened the world’s biggest liner, the Queen Mary 2.
Cracking open a Veuve Clicquot jeroboam of champagne – about three litres or twice as much as a magnum – Her Majesty said: “May God bless her and all who sail in her.”
The French-built QM2 weighs 150,000-tonnes and cost over half a billion pounds.
During the celebrations yesterday, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, also onboard the Cunard vessel, enjoyed fireworks, streamers and foghorn blasts.
The royal couple were joined by 2,000 VIPs, including John Prescott, the deputy prime minister, and Alistair Darling, the transport secretary.
The French-built QM2 was christened in her home port of Southampton, from where she will set sail next week on her six-day maiden voyage to Florida.
The liner’s master, Commodore Ronald Warwick, described the ceremony as “the greatest day of my life”.
