William And Kate Join Sir David Attenborough For Ship Naming Ceremony
Prince William and Kate have arrived to join Sir David Attenborough for the naming ceremony of the polar research ship the public voted to call Boaty McBoatface.
That name was vetoed and the ship is being officially named the RRS Sir David Attenborough in a ceremony at the Cammell Laird shipyard in Birkenhead, Merseyside.
The Duchess of Cambridge smashed a bottle of champagne against the hull as she officially christens the vessel. The Champagne smashing is a tradition while naming a ship dating back hundreds of years.
Sir David and Prince William then delivered speeches at the naming ceremony, as they tour the new ship.
Owned by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and operated by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), the RRS Sir David Attenborough will enable world-leading research to be carried out in Antarctica and the Arctic over the next 25 to 30 years.
The royal couple also met with a team of engineers from Cammell Laird who have been involved in the ship’s build; scientists who demonstrated how state-of-the art equipment is used to carry out research whilst at sea and schoolchildren involved in BAS’s ‘Polar Explorer’ programme.
The programme encourages and supports schools to enrich their teaching of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects by educating pupils about polar science and the ship’s future expeditions.
For the occasion, Kate recycled her her blue Alexander McQueen coat. The Duchess wore it first back in April 2014, during her royal tour of New Zealand with a red poppy pin.
But, today, she matched it with black heels, black clutch and dangle earings.
The Palace has already announced Prince William and Kate’s next engagement ahead of their upcomimg royal tour in October.
The couple will “attend a special event at the Aga Khan Centre on 2nd October, hosted by His Highness The Aga Khan,” the Palace tweeted.
“The event falls ahead of TRH’s official visit to Pakistan, which will take place between 14th – 18th October.”