Ocean liners to unite in Cunard's 'spiritual home'

Cruise company Cunard has announced that all four of its flagship ocean liners are to visit the River Mersey for a special event - the first time they will have assembled together.

The firm was founded in 1840 in Liverpool - considered to be the company's spiritual home - where the Queen Elizabeth, Queen Victoria, Queen Mary 2 and Queen Anne will gather for the May 2028 spectacle.

The last time Cunard ships gathered on the Mersey was in 2015 when the Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria celebrated Cunard's 175th anniversary.

The event will mark the Queen Mary 2's first transatlantic crossing from New York to Liverpool - the last Cunard ocean liner to make that journey was the RMS Sylvania in 1966.

The Four Queens' arrival will coincide with celebrations marking 20 years since Liverpool was named European Capital of Culture and the city is planning a year of events.

City council leader Liam Robinson said: "Welcoming the four Cunard Queens at the same time will be an extraordinary occasion."

Robinson added: "We are incredibly proud of our rich maritime heritage and this promises to be a really special moment."

Cunard said bringing the four ships together will be "a celebration the of the bond between the company and the city where it all began".

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