72 years on and a new Queen takes to water

The Queen officially named Cunard's 92,000-tonne Queen Elizabeth yesterday - 72 years after watching her mother launch the very first Queen Elizabeth liner.

As hundreds of invited guests witnessed the quayside ceremony at Southampton, the Queen spoke the familiar vessel-launching words, requesting God to bless the vessel "and all who sail in her".

Aged 12, the Queen was present on the Clyde in Scotland in 1938 as the then Queen Elizabeth - later the Queen Mother - launched the Queen Elizabeth.

Then, 29 years later and again on the Clyde, the Queen launched the QE2, which remained in Cunard service until just two years ago.

The 16-deck ship, which can travel at a speed of around 27mph, also features an 18ft panel created by the Queen's nephew Viscount Linley, art deco interiors echoing the 1930s great age of ocean liners, an impressive 800-seat theatre and a shopping area featuring names such as Fortnum & Mason and Harris Tweed.