Royal Baby to Disrupt P&O Christening Plans

Any hopes that P&O Cruises’ bosses had that the Duchess of Cambridge would be present to christen their new ship, Britannia, upon her launch in March 2015 have been dashed following the news that the future Queen is expecting her second child just weeks later.

P&O Cruises had hoped that the Duchess would become Godmother to the newest member of their fleet but the proximity of the baby’s due date to the ship’s launch date will prove problematic. If P&O do persuade Kensington Palace to allow the Duchess of Cambridge to attend the event, P&O would reportedly have to provide an on-site midwife.

P&O Cruises have revealed that no announcement of Britannia’s Godmother is imminent.

The Britannia is due to set out on her maiden voyage on 14 March 2015, sailing to the Western Mediterranean from Southampton. The ship is set to be Britain’s largest ship and the star of P&O’s eight ship fleet.

Coincidentally, the last public appearance of the Duchess of Cambridge before the birth of her first child was christening another cruise ship: Princess Cruises’ Royal Princess. Just 37 days before baby George was born, the Duchess became godmother to the ship following the footsteps of the late Princess Diana. The event attracted a worldwide television audience, desperate to catch of a glimpse of the heavily pregnant Duchess.

Images sourced via P&O Cruises and Flickr Creative Commons. Credits: tsaiproject