The Queen to name new P&O cruise ship Britannia

The new ship has the same name as the Queen's decommissioned Royal Yacht Britannia

The Queen will officially name the new P&O cruise ship Britannia in Southampton, it has been announced.

The Duke of Edinburgh will also attend the ceremony for the 141,000-tonne vessel at Ocean Terminal on 10 March.

The ship will bear the same name as the Queen's former Royal Yacht Britannia, which was decommissioned in 1997 after more than 50 years of service.

At 1,082ft (330m) it can carry 3,600 passengers and includes a multimillion-pound art collection.

The ship also has a three-deck-high atrium and a cookery school overseen by chefs including Mary Berry, Pierre Koffmann, and Paul Rankin.

David Dingle, chairman of P&O Cruises parent company Carnival, said: "We are honoured and proud that Her Majesty will name Britannia almost 20 years after she named the P&O Cruises ship Oriana.

"Britannia will be the embodiment of contemporary Britain and with her Union Jack livery she will fly the flag for Britain across the globe."

Previous Royal launches for P&O

• 1935 - HRH The Duchess of York (later HM Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother) launched Strathmore

• 1959 - HRH Princess Alexandra launched the Oriana

• 1995 - HM The Queen named the second Oriana

• 2000 - HRH The Princess Royal named Aurora

• 2003 - HRH The Princess Royal and her daughter Miss Zara Phillips named Oceana and Adonia