According to somewhat apocryphal documentation, it has been claimed that a certain well known large mode of transport was originally mis-named due to some 'flowery language' with a company spokesperson trying to gain permission from a passionate monarch. A mis-understanding led to an embarrassing settlement in which it is named today. What is it, and who was it supposed to be named after?

TabbyTom

The R. M. S. Queen Mary was, according to some sources, intended to bear the name "Victoria." The following extract is from Wikipedia: Legend has it that Cunard intended to name the ship "Victoria", in keeping with company tradition of giving its ships names ending in "ia". However, when company representatives asked King George V's permission to name the ocean liner after Britain's "greatest queen," his wife, the former Princess Mary of Teck, announced that she would be delighted. And so, the legend goes, the delegation had of course no other choice but to report that No. 534 would be called RMS Queen Mary. However, this story was denied by company officials, and is probably apocryphal, since traditionally the names of sovereigns have only been used for capital ships of the Royal Navy. Another story states that the name Queen Mary was decided on as a compromise between Cunard and the White Star Line, with which Cunard had recently merged, who had a tradition of using names ending in "ic". Feb 27 06, 6:32 PM

peasypod

Nice One TT, a Golden Banana coming at ya. Yes, supposedly when Sir Thomas Royden met with King George V, he asked for his liner to be named 'after the greatest Queen this country has ever known'. Feb 27 06, 6:53 PM

Baloo55th

The tradition of using the names of sovereigns for Royal Navy ships only had obviously ended by the time they built the Queen Elizabeth II. (The first Queen Elizabeth was, of course, the wife of George VI in this case, not the Tudor Queen Elizabeth I). Or is it Queen Elizabeth 2? in which case it's a re-run, so to speak, of George's wife's name and not the current sovereign's. I'm starting to confuse myself now... Feb 28 06, 4:48 AM

bloomsby

As the ship's official (?) name is "QE2" I've a;ways taken it to be deliberately ambiguous. As for Queen Mary, she was notoriously self-important and grasping if the stories I've heard are true. It's said that when invited as a guest she'd often say how very, very much she liked some particular antique or work of art and of course took it for granted that her host would be only too delighted to give it to her. When visiting ________ House she met her match. "It's my favourite object too, Ma'am", her host replied, leaving Queen Mary thunderstruck. Feb 28 06, 2:36 PM

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