Construction of Queen Anne Begins with Keel Laying
by Dori Saltzman
Queen Anne’s keel section is lifted into position at the Fincantieri Marghera shipyard. Photo: Cunard
Construction on Cunard’s next Queen took a major step forward earlier this month with the laying of its keel section at the Fincantieri Marghera shipyard in Venice.
The keel laying marks the official start of Queen Anne’s construction. To mark the occasion, a specially-commissioned Queen Anne coin was embedded into the ship’s keel by its Captain, alongside an original coin from the ship’s namesake reign.
The ceremony for the keel laying was attended by the Cunard and Carnival UK leadership team, along with representatives of Fincantieri and the Captain of Queen Anne, Inger Thorhauge.
“We’re thrilled to celebrate this exciting construction milestone for Queen Anne,” said Matt Gleaves, vice president, commercial for Cunard in North America and Australasia. “Over the last three years, world-leading designers have worked with master ship builders at Fincantieri to design a ship that showcases our position as a world-famous luxury brand across all continents.”
Queen Anne will enter service at the beginning of 2024.

