Queen Anne commemorates Cunard's 185 years of maritime heritage, with a grand event in Liverpool.

Queen Anne will return to her “spiritual home” on Monday (May 26), to celebrate this year’s 185th anniversary of Cunard’s first transatlantic crossing leaving Liverpool in 1840.

Her arrival - almost a year to the day since her historic naming ceremony in Liverpool - is expected to attract huge crowds to vantage points on both sides of the river as the city prepares to host the LFC Premier League Champions Parade later that day.

The ship is due alongside at Cruise Port Liverpool by 12.00pm where she will form a magnificent backdrop to the parade celebrations when the Reds’ motorcade reaches the waterfront.

The following day (May 27), Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal will be welcomed for the first royal tour of Queen Anne. British Army Band Catterick will signal her arrival, marking the beginning of a memorable day of celebration.

Her Royal Highness will celebrate Cunard’s 185 years of maritime history, its bond with Liverpool, and the leadership of Queen Anne’s Captains, Dave Hudson and Inger Thorhauge.

placeholder image — AFP via Getty Images

Following this, Cunard will officially open its 185th ‘Sea of Glamour’ exhibition at The Royal Liver Building, joined by Queen Anne’s Icons – five proud Liverpudlian women chosen to represent the city after Liverpool was named, in a world first, as Queen Anne’s Godparent.

The Icons are all proud Liverpudlians: Spice Girl and author Melanie C, broadcaster and community leader Ngunan Adamu, local restaurant entrepreneur Natalie Haywood, Liverpool music and cultural legend Jayne Casey, and British Olympian heptathlon athlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson.

The Sea of Glamour Exhibition will be open to the general public at The Royal Liver Building in Liverpool between May 28 and June 17, before setting sail around the world aboard the Cunard fleet.

Cunard's new ship Queen Anne. Image: Cunard | Cunard.

Curated by renowned photographer Mary McCartney, the exhibition will feature a stunning collection of 185 photos of Hollywood icons, musicians, politicians and royalty from the Cunard archives, alongside newly curated images from the public to form a timeline of iconic moments that will immerse visitors in the magic of nearly two centuries of transatlantic travel.

British photographer and filmmaker Mary McCartney will take the final photograph for the exhibition on May 27, capturing a portrait of Queen Anne’s Icons in Liverpool on the day it opens.

Katie McAlister, President of Cunard, said: “This is a landmark moment for Cunard, and we are incredibly honoured to welcome Her Royal Highness to Liverpool as we celebrate 185 years of our heritage.

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“The opening of the Sea of Glamour exhibition is a fitting tribute to the elegance and legacy that define Cunard, and to the special bond we share with this great city.”