Her last solo engagement before taking maternity leave, the Duchess of Cambridge christened Royal Princess in Southampton today.
There was tremendous excitement at the docks as the Duchess arrived with members of the media from around the globe lined up to report on the engagement.
More from The Daily Mail;
"Despite the ship's regal name, the vessel was not named after the Duchess of Cambridge. Instead, the name was taken from the original Royal Princess ship which launched in 1984 and is no longer in service.
Becoming a ship's godmother is a symbolic position similar to a patron or sponsor that dates back to the mid-19th century when leading women were selected for the honor.
Princess Cruises has a history of illustrious godmothers for past ships including Diana, Princess of Wales, who named the first Royal Princess in 1984, actress Audrey Hepburn, Sophia Loren, and Baroness Thatcher.
The original Royal Princess is now known as the MV Artania and is based in Germany, where it is part of the fleet belonging to German cruise company, Phoenix Reisen.
The ceremony for the Finnish-built ship in 1984 was attended by the then president of Finland, Mauno Koivisto, and the vessel was blessed by David Cartwright, then Bishop of Southampton, before Princess Diana completed the christening.
'Appointing a godmother to name a new ship is one of maritime’s oldest traditions,' said Paul Ludlow, UK Director of Princess Cruises.
'Historically their role is to be entrusted with the safe guidance of a vessel and its passengers. We are thrilled to welcome HRH Duchess of Cambridge, godmother to Royal Princess, to Southampton and look forward to celebrating this historic occasion.'
'It is a great honour for Princess Cruises that Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge has accepted our invitation to become the Godmother to Royal Princess,' added Princess Cruises CEO Alan Buckelew.
'We are delighted that the Duchess will launch our new ship and can think of no better way to celebrate our company’s British heritage and our commitment to the country.'
The spectacular vessel arrived in Southampton after a lengthy journey from the Monfalcone shipyard where she was built, and was met with a rousing welcome from the Southampton University Brass Band.
Along with a a fully-equipped games room, casino and a spa, the vast cruise ship has a has a 28ft glass-bottomed viewing gallery, 10 different restaurants including one that specialises in steak and lobster, and 1,780 luxury staterooms.
Royal Princess is now the largest in Princess Cruises' 16-strong fleet, although it will be joined by a similarly sized sister ship, Regal Princess, next year.
The newly christened Royal Princess will now depart on her maiden voyage, which will take her round the coastline of Spain to Barcelona, via Vigo, Lisbon, Gibraltar and Malaga.
From Barcelona, the ship will embark on a 12-day voyage around the Mediterranean before a longer 30-day cruise that will take it across the Atlantic to the sunny Florida city of Fort Lauderdale.
It will then depart on a five-day Caribbean cruise that takes in Princess Cays in the Bahamas, the pretty island of St Maarten, the British Virgin Islands and St. Thomas before returning to the American port."
The 3,600 passenger Royal Princess is described as a "new generation" ship, and among its impressive features is a greatly expanded atrium, an over-water Sea Walk, a top-deck glass-bottomed walkway extending 28 feet beyond the edge of the ship, private poolside cabanas that appear to be floating on water, and for those who enjoy dessert - the largest pastry shop on sea.
The ship's entire company posed for the traditional photo of the inaugural crew.
During the ceremony Catherine said the words "I name this ship Royal Princess. May God bless her and all who sail in her" and smashed a magnum of champagne against the vessel's hull.
A £1,250 Nebuchednezzar of Moet & Chandon champagne was used to christen the Royal Princess.
The royal looked very pleased when the bottle smashed. It is said to be bad luck if it doesn't.
A bereaved family who received care and support from Catherine's patronage East Anglia's Children's Hospices played a part in the ceremony. Izzie and Charlie Rowbotham presented the Duchess with a pair of scissors to cut the rope with before the bottle break.
I thought it very touching to include a family from one of Catherine's charities in the festivities.
Graham Butland, Chief Executive of EACH said:
'We're delighted HRH invited a family from EACH to be part of the naming ceremony. We know how excited and honoured they are. Our Royal Patronage has provided us with many great benefits including raising awareness and understanding of our services.'
Among the festivities The Royal Marines Band and the pipers of the Irish Guards performed and British pop singer Natasha Bedingfield sang her hit 'Unwritten'. Temporary grandstands were built on the dockside to accommodate the hundreds of guests invited by Princess Cruises to witness the spectacular ceremony.
The Duchess of Cambridge was introduced to the Royal Princess' contingent of chefs as other members of the crew watched from above
The Duchess's presence today was much appreciated by the ship's operators, Princess Cruises. Alan Buckelew, the line's President and CEO said:
"We can think of no better way to celebrate our company's British heritage and our commitment to the country."
Catherine also showed her support for the port. The British Cruising Industry is Southampton's biggest employer and power base.
Diana, Princess of Wales christened the original Royal Princess in 1984. The Princess arrived at the cruise terminal by train, toured the vessel and met the ship's company. She presented the captain and crew with a beautiful ceremonial sword to commemorate the occasion. It's poignant that almost twenty-nine years later her daughter-in-law christened the new Royal Princess.
More from Princess Cruises:
'Like her namesake that debuted in 1984, the new Royal Princess is indeed a special ship, inspiring equally special godmother, the Duchess of Cambridge.'
Other notable godmothers include Audrey Hepburn, Margaret Thatcher, Olivia de Havilland and Sohpia Loren. Below we see the timeless Ms. Hepburn christening 'Star Princess' in 1989.
Catherine was given a tour of Royal Princess during which she was accompanied by the vessel's master, Captain Tony Draper. The Captain will guide the vessel on a brief two night voyage this evening and the maiden voyage on Sunday.
The Duchess revealed she had never been on a ship before and seemed genuinely interested in finding out more, much to pleasure of the crew.
More from the Daily Echo:
'Kate just giggled and said 'brilliant I was expecting something high pitched' as she threw her hands up in the air as she pressed the ship's horn. She asked the officer's wives about the entertainment and whether any trips or planned. She also asked about their favourite places and if officers get to enjoy the luxuries on board'.
Catherine laughed as she sounded the ship's whistle.
The Duchess then attended a reception where she mingled with dignitaries and representatives from various charities.
A close look at some of the delicacies served at the dinner.
At the reception, the Duchess signed her official portrait, which will be placed on board.
The Duchess elected to wear the Hobbs Dalamtion Print Mac. It was an unusual choice for the Duchess, the structure and fit of the coat are very much in keeping with Catherine's typical style but the print was an unexpected choice. It's also interesting to note it is not a maternity garment, Catherine most likely purchased one size up and had it altered. The coat is available for £169 at John Lewis.
The Duchess chose to wear a white dress underneath the coat.
A view of the garment on a model.
I particularly loved Catherine's headpiece for today. It is a black fascinator by Sylvia Fletcher at Lock & Co.
I enjoyed seeing this Alexander McQueen bag with Catherine's outfit today. You would think that the Duchess would choose a black clutch to match with her footwear, so it is a very pleasant surprise to see this variation. The bag is thought to be a custom made version of the Wicca Mini Satchel.
The Duchess accessorised with her Annoushka Pearl Earrings.
She also chose to wear her famous Episode 'Angel' pumps.
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