Front cover picture: The most famous name at sea!
As we continue this weeks series of historical menu covers produced by Cunard’s UK Public Relations Department, we learn more of what transpired in the naming of Queen Elizabeth 2.
The final short-list of names for the new Cunarder had been decided in May 1967 by Sir Basil Smallpiece, then chairman of Cunard, and his deputy Ronald Senior. They met in Cunard’s London offices on the evening of Monday 18 September where Sir Basil took three names from a safe. They then agreed on the final choice.
When the choice was made, a message was sent by scramble telephone to The Queen through her private secretary, Sir Michael Adeane, at Balmoral. The were the only four to know the name.
Princess Margaret became the 4-1 favorite on the eve of the launch when it was announced at the last moment that she would also be attending the ceremony. Workers had chalked Princess Anne on the liner’s hull-that was the name Captain Warwick, Master Designate of the ship liked. Of the royals Prince Charles carried the shortest odds.
More than 15,000 bets were placed with the bookmakers and a Glasgow bookie was offering the following odds:
3-1 Sir Winston Churchill
4-1 Prince of Wales, Prince Charles, Princess Margaret
5-1 Britannia
6-1 Princess Anne, John F. Kennedy
8-1 Queen Victoria
10-1 Aquitania
12-1 Mauretania
14-1 Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, Atlantic Princess
25-1 Clyde Princess, British Princess
Other suggestions included Queen of the United States, Great Britain, Ocean Queen, The Crown and Anchor, Rose of England, Twiggy, The New Elizabethan, Gloriana, Windsor Wave and Donald Campbell (who had been killed a few weeks earlier). Housewife Helen Gormley suggested ‘Helen Gormley’.
Over 400 names were suggested with the last suggestion, Francis Chichester, arriving in the 48 hours before the launch. But Cunard’s chosen name was not Princess Margaret or Princess Anne,it was not even Queen Elizabeth II ,let alone Queen Elizabeth 2. It was simply Queen Elizabeth.
One reason may have been that no British merchant ship had ever been named after a reigning monarch and the company did not wish to presume an exception-a reason advanced by Sir Basil Smallpiece. But another reason of considerable weight concerned the sensibility of the Scots, whose ship this indubitably was. Cunard had built over 100 ships on the Clyde in the preceding century and was attuned to Scottish sensitivities. The company knew full well that in Scotland the present Queen is not Queen Elizabeth II- she is simply Queen Elizabeth. To ignore such an historical fact would reek of English arrogance and would be resented-and, in any case, there was no need to do so as Cunard’s wish to have the ship named after the Queen was perfectly well served by the chosen ‘Queen Elizabeth’.
When The Queen proceeded at the launch ceremony to name the ship ‘Queen Elizabeth the Second’- not just ‘Elizabeth’, nor even ‘Elizabeth Two’- the fleeting look of consternation on Sir Basil’s face was obvious to the millions of television viewers tuned in to the historic event.
But it is diffcult to know if it was a look of surprised delight that The Queen had, of her own choosing, decided to ignore tradition and to confer her name on Cunard’s ship-a merchant ship. That would have been a singular honour from the monarch. Or, conversely, if it was a look of concern deriving from a knowledge of what complication would ensue. Probably a bit of both.
As soon as The Queen had surprised everyone, including Sir Basil, controversy began. In England the name was criticized as being unimaginative, but in Scotland it was damned as “insulting”, “provocative” and “disgraceful”. Arthur Donaldson, chairman of the Scottish Nationalist Party, said: “It could not be a bigger insult to the people of Scotland”.
More than 500 calls were made to the various offices of Cunard in the UK, most of which congratulated the company on the choice.
In his autobiography Sir Basil maintained that he “could hardly contain” his delight when The Queed conferred her name in full on the ship;. But despite this being clearly her wish he says he proposed the use of the Arabic ‘2′ as it would not have been appropriate to use the “official designation of The Queen as sovereign”- that is, Roman Numerals- in advertising.
