Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal will lead Cunard’s 185th anniversary celebrations in Liverpool on 27 May, as the luxury cruise line marks 185 years of maritime heritage.
The festivities will begin on Monday 26 May, when Cunard’s newest ship, Queen Anne, arrives in the Mersey — almost a year to the day since her historic naming ceremony in Liverpool, Cunard’s spiritual home.
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.
The Cunard celebrations also form a key part of a mega bank holiday weekend of events in Liverpool, with the city hosting Radio 1s Big Weekend in Sefton Park and Liverpool FC invited to stage a Premier League victory parade through the city to its world famous waterfront on the Monday.
Her Royal Highness will celebrate Cunard’s 185 years of maritime history, its enduring bond with Liverpool, and the leadership of Queen Anne’s Captains, Dave Hudson and Inger Thorhauge.
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.
Curated by renowned photographer Mary McCartney, the exhibition will showcase the glamour, grandeur, and cultural heritage of life at sea through Cunard’s illustrious 185-year history.
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.
“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.”
185th Exhibition
The Sea of Glamour Exhibition will be open to the general public at The Royal Liver Building in Liverpool between 28 May 2025 and 17 June 2025, before setting sail around the world aboard the Cunard fleet.
It 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 27 May, capturing a portrait of Queen Anne’s Icons in Liverpool on the day it opens. This unique image will offer a fresh, captivating perspective on Cunard’s iconic link to Liverpool.
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 exhibition will also include an immersive audio storytelling experience, transporting visitors to life aboard Cunard ships through the stories of guests past and present, as well as striking sculptural installation, Sails of History, whose beautiful feature sails will be suspended mid-air in The Royal Liver Building. The sails themselves will serve as dynamic canvases for the images of the exhibition.
