Cunard plan to celebrate the wedding of Kate Middleton and Prince William in style with 6,600 guests onboard.
In view of Cunard’s long association with the British Royal family, it is fitting that the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton should be celebrated with enthusiasm and aplomb on all three of the company’s ships. Flagship Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria – the first two named by Prince William’s grandmother, Her Majesty The Queen, and the latter by his stepmother, the Duchess of Cornwall – will all be at sea on the day so it is anticipated that there will be heavy demand for the live big-screen showing of the wedding itself in the ships’ Royal Court Theatres. And each passenger will receive an invitation to the ‘wedding’, delivered the night before!
In the afternoon, after the screening, a Royal afternoon tea will be served in the appropriately decorated Queens Room on each ship; this will feature a special edition menu and a commemorative blend from tea specialists, Twinings. Champagne will be available with tea.
Dinner in the evening will boast an eight-page commemorative menu offering a celebratory four-course meal devised by Cunard’s renowned Chef Zimmerman. As guests enter each dining room, they will see at the door a traditional multi-tiered wedding cake decorated with cream and white icing, and featuring the flower emblems of the four parts of the United Kingdom – the English rose, the Scottish thistle, the Welsh daffodil and the shamrock of Northern Ireland.
Each guest will be given a complimentary glass of champagne, together with a piece of wedding cake – and dinner in each restaurant will be ‘interrupted’ by a visit from the Captain, who will propose a toast to the bride and groom
And, as is customary at British weddings, at the conclusion of dinner each guest will be able to take away with them a piece of wedding cake in an individual commemorative box
And, again as is customary with British weddings, the celebrations will conclude with dancing at a Royal Ball to be held in each of the ships’ Queens Rooms – the largest dance floors at sea.
In fact, being at sea with Cunard on 29 April will be just like being invited to Westminster Abbey – with only the bride and groom missing!