THERE may have been a right old royal fuss about the £560m Queen Mary 2 being built in France, but some of it comes from right here in Hampshire.

The all-important control consoles, which are used to control everything about the speed and movement of the world's biggest transatlantic liner, are built by an Eastleigh company.

Woodside Road-based IGT Industries is one of the national leaders in console building and has a standing deal worth around £250,000 a year to supply them to Alstom, the French heavy engineering company whose shipyard at St Nazaire, on the western coast, won the showcase shipbuilding contract.

The waterproof consoles - on a bridge nearly 50 metres wide and 48 metres high - use the latest electronic technology to adjust their brightness to the light conditions.

The company, which was founded in Southampton's Foundry Lane 16 years ago before switching to Eastleigh, also supplies seat control consoles for business class airline seats to the likes of BA, Qantas and Virgin.

Being involved with a 17-deck giant like QM2, with its sheer opulence and iconic image, is a prestige-builder for the Eastleigh company, which employs 70 people.

"We are very proud of the fact we are involved with QM2 and we hope it will lead to more production in other areas," said sales and marketing director Derek Maclaughlan.

"They are cutting edge panels uniquely designed for Alstom. Work today could be better and we've had a tough time the last couple of years - the electronics industry generally has. This sort of work gives us a leg up for the future."

The vessel, 345 metres long and 72 metres high from keel to

funnel, will be manoeuvred by the joystick in the picture, usually by the captain, who in this case is Ron Warwick, master-designate.

Many of the pictures here were taken by the Daily Echo following an exclusive tour of the ship. The QM2 can carry up to 3,873 people and is due to be handed over to American-owned Cunard on December 22.

When the Queen smashes the Champagne against the side of the Queen Mary 2 to officially name her on January 8, she can rest easy knowing that while it has been built in France, Hampshire expertise lies at its heart.