THE Queen will visit Southampton to officially launch the giant cruise ship Britannia.
Her Majesty and HRH the Duke of Edinburgh will name the new P&O Cruises vessel at Ocean Terminal on Tuesday, March 10.
Her visit marks a milestone in British history when the biggest and one of the most luxurious ships launched in the country is unveiled to the watching world.
The flagship event comes almost 20 years after the Queen named the firm's ship Oriana in 1995.
And in a celebration of all things British Her Majesty will use a sparkling wine from the Wiston Estate Winery in Sussex for the bottle smash moment and naming ceremony.
A nebuchadnezzar of the quintessentially British Brut NV will be used for the ceremony itself while thousands of bottles of Brut NV and Rosé Vintage 2011 will be enjoyed during the various inaugural events scheduled to take place around the launch.
Carnival UK chairman David Dingle said he is “honoured and proud” of her forthcoming visit and said: ““Britannia, a ship for the nation, will be the embodiment of contemporary Britain, and with her Union Jack livery she will fly the flag for Britain across the Globe.”
Britannia is the firm's latest 'modern classic' heralding in a new era of holiday choice.
Her most iconic feature is the three-deck high atrium with illuminating Star Burst sculpture.
She features an array of restaurants, bars and cafes with menus and culinary experiences created by world chefs.
They include James Martin, Marco Pierre White, Atul Kochhar, Eric Lanlard, wine expert Olly Smith and cheese expert Charlie Turnbull.
The P&O 'food heroes' will display their skills the vessel's new Cookery Club, a 24 person state-of-the-art cookery school were they will demonstrate their culinary skills.
They will be joined throughout the year by other famous chefs including Mary Berry CBE, Pierr Koffmann, Paul Rankin and Commendatore Antonio Carluccio OBE.
The new Epicurean restaurant promises a “multi-sensory” cooking experience a stunning mix of molecular gastronomy and traditional dishes, while the Limelight Club will combine a supper club with contemporary entertainment.
Britannia's bar highlights include the Great British Gin Menu with 20 artisan gins in the Crow's Nest cocktail lounge and the Great British Beer Menu with 70 UK bottled beers, ales and ciders in Brodie's pub.
She also boasts the largest British spa at sea, a state-of-the-art theatre with LED wall, four pools, gym and a multi million pound art collection with a specially commissioned representation of the “Spirit of Modern Britain” from artist Johnny Bull.
She is the third Britannia in P&O history.
The first was launched in 1835 for P&O's predecessor company the General Steam Navigation Co.
The second Britannia entered service in 1887 and built as part of a fleet of giant steamers to celebrate the Golden Jubillee of both Queen Victoria and the company.
The fleet of Jubilee class ships included the Victoria, Aracadia and Oceana and were some of the grandest built at the time.
They carried 250 first-class and 160 second-class passengers and had a cargo capacity of approximately 4,000 tons.
Winston Churchill sailed on Britannia in 1888 with his hussar regiment before fighting on the North West Frontier.
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