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​Queen Victoria Profile
Photo feature: Queen Mary 2 Birthday Celebration
Interview: Cunard CEO David Dingle, Dr. Stephen Payne, and Commodore Ronald Warwick on the QM2 Celebration 

QM2 10th Anniversary:

THE FOURTH QUEEN

by

Richard H. Wagner

Cruise ship Arcadia
 In lists of Britain's monarchs, you sometimes see Lady Jane Grey listed as one of Britain's Queens. Lady Jane was proclaimed queen after the death of King Edward VI in an effort to prevent Edward's Catholic sister Mary Tudor from succeeding to the throne. This effort proved futile and Lady Jane only reigned for a few days. While she was never officially crowned, some historians recognize her as having been a queen, albeit for a few days, and thus include her in the list of British monarchs.

Like Lady Jane, Arcadia was a Cunard queen but only for a brief moment. The ship was originally ordered for Holland America Line. However, after Carnival Corporation's acquisition of Cunard, a plan was developed for Cunard to compete against P&O Cruises in the British market with a new fleet of cruise ships. As part of this plan, the unfinished Holland America ship was transferred to Cunard and given the name “Queen Victoria.”

But the ship was only a Cunard queen for a briefly. In late 2003, P&O Cruises came under the Carnival umbrella. Since Cunard and P&O Cruises were now sister companies, it no longer made sense to build Cunard a series of cruise ships with which to compete against P&O Cruises. Therefore, the still unfinished Queen Victoria was again transferred, this time to P&O Cruises and renamed Arcadia.

Thus, although she never sailed as a Cunarder, Arcadia was once a Cunard queen. It therefore can be argued that there were actually four Cunard queens in Southampton for the QM2 10th anniversary celebration
Cruise ship Arcadia
Arcadia arrived in Southampton at first light and proceeded to the turning basin where she executed a 180 degree turn before docking at Mayflower Terminal. 
Cruise ship Arcadia

Below:  The once and current Queen Victorias.
Arcadia and Queen Victoria cruise ships
Queen Elizabeth Profile
Queen Mary 2 Profile
​Queen Victoria Profile
Photo feature on the 10th anniversary celebrations
Photo tour of QM2



Cruise ship feature - - Cunard Line / P&O Cruises - -  Queen Mary 2 / Arcadia - -The Fourth Queen
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