The Duchess of Cambridge christens new ship Royal Princess

Yesterday, Catherine, The Duchess of Cambridge blessed new ship Royal Princess, before ceremoniously breaking a bottle of champagne on the hull during the traditional naming event.

The proceedings kicked off in Southampton yesterday morning at around 11am.  Music and entertainment featured heavily at the naming ceremony, as is traditional with this type of event.  Both the Band of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines Portsmouth and the Pipe Band of the 1st Battalion of Irish Guards performed for the crowd before guest of honour Catherine, The Duchess of Cambridge’s arrival shortly before 11.30am.

The magnificent event was attended by a number of celebrities, including entertainer Bruce Forsyth and singers Natasha Bedingfield and Kerry Ellis. The latter two both performed songs during the ceremony.  A number of key people and special guests from The Duchess of Cambridge’s own charities were present at the naming event too.

After the singing and entertainment, a traditional prayer was offered, in order to bless the ship and all its future voyages.

Next, Captain Tony Draper asked Catherine a question:

“Your Royal Highness, would you do us the great honour of naming my ship”.

The Duchess replied with:

“I name this ship Royal Princess, may God bless her and all who sail in her.”

Catherine then cut a rope that broke a £1,250 “Nebuchadnezzar” bottle of Moet champagne against the ship’s hull, marking the naming ceremony as complete. Princess Cruises’ signature blue- and white-coloured confetti then rained over the crowd as Kerry Ellis performed another song.

After the ceremony, Catherine was given a tour of the ship, where she spoke with the special guests invited to the event.

She also spent some time on the ship’s bridge speaking to the captain, even pushing a button to blow the ship’s horn!

The ceremony was enjoyed by thousands of people who tuned in to watch live on Princess Cruises’ website.  For those wishing to re-live the moment, or who were unfortunate enough not to catch the event yesterday, you can watch a re-run on the cruise line’s website by clicking here.

About Royal Princess:

The new Royal Princess ship is now the largest in the Princess Cruises fleet.

It offers:

• An new, larger atrium, providing additional entertainment and casual dining options
• A top-deck pool, with a water and light show. Now the largest top deck pool ever on the Princess fleet
• Balconies on all outside staterooms
• A glass-bottomed “SeaWalk” offering thrilling views 128 feet straight down – an industry first!

After the naming ceremony, Royal Princess departed on her maiden voyage to Barcelona.  From Barcelona, the ship will now sail around the Mediterranean for 12-days.  Next, Royal Princess will embark upon a 30-day voyage to Florida, before she departs for a Caribbean cruise of the Bahamas.

All images kindly supplied by Princess Cruises.