TV's Emma and Matt Willis to host huge Queen Anne cruise ship naming ceremony at Pier Head

Tens of thousands of spectators are expected to line the banks of the River Mersey for the Naming Ceremony of Cunard’s newest cruise ship Queen Anne later this year. The event will be broadcast live to a global TV audience and will be hosted by TV star Emma Willis and husband Matt Willis - guitarist and singer in pop band Busted.

The huge Queen Anne liner is expected to arrive on the Mersey soon after sunrise on Monday June 3 as part of a ‘lap of honour’ voyage around the British Isles. Liverpool’s Pier Head will then be alive with activity in the lead up to the naming ceremony, which is set to begin at 4pm.

The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts will perform a one-of-a-kind performance and will be joined by a number of special guests, leading up to the Queen Anne’s sail away party.

The event is expected to draw tens of thousands of spectators to vantage points alongside the river at Pier Head, between New Brighton and Seacombe on the Wirral and on beaches at Formby and Crosby in Sefton.

Cunard ships have previously attracted more than a million spectators to the banks of the Mersey. Huge crowds turned out in 1990, and in 2015 for the Three Queens ‘royal rendezvous’ in front of the Cunard Building to celebrate its 175th anniversary.

Cunard's president Katie McAlister said: “Cunard has an incredible bond with the city of Liverpool. It is where our founder Sir Samuel Cunard began his Transatlantic line in 1840, so what better place to officially name our new ship than somewhere that holds so many special memories.

"Queen Anne is the next in a fine line for our brand and she will be bursting with breath-taking moments around every corner, evolving our core values of luxury, sophistication, and glamour. Liverpool is known the world over as Cunard’s spiritual home and we are all so excited for the city to see Queen Anne up close on her maiden call.”

Further details of timings, activities, and spectator information for Queen Anne’s visit to Liverpool will be published in due course.