The secret’s out at last!

The bush telegraph has been rumbling for weeks and rumours have been rife but at last we have had confirmation that HM The Queen will be Godmother to the new P&O Britannia. Talk about cutting it fine, I was beginning to think I was going to have to smash the Champagne bottle myself! I think this is a lovely gesture from P&O. The Queen was visibly distressed when she had to part with her own beloved Britannia, the Royal yacht, on 20th October 1997 so she will welcome the chance to be involved with her namsake.

You might be surprised to hear this as HM is already Godmother to Cunard Queen Elizabeth but it does happen that someone can be Godmother to more than one ship. Did you know that Sophia Loren is Godmother to every single MSC ship? This is probably something to do with the fact that she is married to a member of the Ponti family who own the MSC fleet.

Anyway, back to 10th March. I am so looking forward to the event although I am not sure if HM will even be aware of my presence. No worries, we met before, many years ago, in Falmouth during her Silver Jubilee year as she walked through the town. Later in the evening my family and I gained entry to the docks where my Uncle Tom worked. Her lovely ship Britannia was docked there and the family came out onto the deck before dinner to give us all a wave. Happy memories – especially of my Mom who climbed over a barrier and headed closer to the ship, followed by many other people!

On the day I will be busying myself taking photos of Britannia’s carpets and also doing a thorough inspection of the brand new cookery club on board, along with passing on a few tips to Mary Berry, just making sure she is up to speed!

Rest assured, I will be giving you a full and honest debrief when I return, and no doubt giving my usual frank opinion on how I think Britannia compares with her main rival for 2015, Anthem. Watch this space!