Liverpool to welcome Queen Anne for Cunard’s 185th anniversary celebrations

May 7, 2025
By Editor

Liverpool will host Cunard’s 185th anniversary celebrations this May, with a return for Queen Anne and an unveiling of a glamorous new exhibition at the Royal Liver Building.

Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal will visit Liverpool to lead the anniversary celebrations which will take place on Tuesday 27 May, including a landmark tour of Cunard’s newest ship, Queen Anne, and the official opening of the ‘Sea of Glamour’ exhibition, a striking tribute to nearly two centuries of style, elegance and seafaring legacy.

Liverpool to welcome Queen Anne for Cunard's 185th anniversary celebrations

Queen Anne sails into the Mersey to begin the festivities on Monday 26th May, to begin a two-day celebration. It marks almost exactly a year since the ship’s historic naming ceremony in Liverpool, Cunard’s spiritual home.

Cunard is honoured to welcome Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal for the first royal tour of Queen Anne, with the British Army Band Catterick signalling her arrival. During her visit, she will meet with the ship’s Captains, Dave Hudson and Inger Thorhauge, and join celebrations recognising Cunard’s enduring bond with Liverpool.

Later that day, Cunard will officially open its 185th anniversary ‘Sea of Glamour’ exhibition inside the Royal Liver Building. Curated by world-renowned photographer Mary McCartney, the exhibition offers a rich visual journey through Cunard’s illustrious history, celebrating the glamour and grandeur of life at sea.

The exhibition will also feature Queen Anne’s Icons – five proud Liverpudlian women chosen to represent the city after Liverpool made history as the first ever Godparent of a ship.

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.”

Founded in Liverpool in 1840, Cunard’s legacy is deeply rooted in the city. The 185th anniversary events promise to honour that legacy in spectacular fashion — with Liverpool, once again, the beating heart of the Cunard story.