The Duchess of Cornwall will perform the official naming ceremony of Southampton's latest luxury liner, Cunard's Queen Victoria in December.
Accompanied by the Prince of Wales, the Duchess will send the traditional bottle crashing against the side of the brand new, 90,000 ton liner on December 10.
More than 2,000 specially invited guests from around the world will attend the spectacular dockside ceremony.
The naming will be the highest profile public engagement carried out by the Duchess since her marriage to the Prince of Wales and confirms her position at the heart of the Royal Family.
The decision to accept Cunard's invitation to the Duchess would only have been made after discussions at the highest level within Buckingham Palace.
"This will be an historic occasion. We are most honoured that Their Royal Highnesses have accepted our invitation and that Her Royal Highness will name our newest Cunarder," said Carol Marlow, Cunard Line's president.
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