Kate Middleton Now Godmother … To A Cruise Ship

Kate Middleton is becoming a Godmother, though not in a way you might expect.

Rather than Godmothering a living, breathing little human, the Duchess will be serving as Godmother to a cruise ship. No, I didn’t know that was a thing either.

Apparently, Kate will be Godmother to the newest ship in the Princess Cruises fleet. Some pretty big names have performed the duty including Princess Diana, Sophia Loren, Margaret Thatcher, and Audrey Hepburn.

Kate Middleton’s spell as Godmother will begin on June 13 when she’s due to attend a naming ceremony in Southampton. There, she’ll “christen” the ship with a few words before smashing a bottle of expensive champagne against the vessel’s hull (using some sort of lever mechanism, I’d imagine; I can’t picture a heavily pregnant Kate personally bottling a boat). Beyond that, we’re not sure what Godmother duties Kate will be expected to perform.

By June 13, Kate will be around eight months pregnant, so this may be one of her last public appearances for a while.

The ship she’ll be proudly Godmothering is called “Royal Princess.” The vessel offers an over-water SeaWalk, a top-deck glass-bottomed walkway that extends more than 28 feet beyond the edge of the ship, private poolside cabanas made to appear as if they’re floating on water, and, yes, the largest pastry shop at sea.

Alan Buckelew, president and CEO of the line, simpered:

“It is a great honor for Princess Cruises that Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge has accepted our invitation to become the Godmother to Royal Princess. We are delighted that the Duchess will launch our new ship and can think of no better way to celebrate our company’s British heritage and our commitment to the country.”

Just for fun, here are some shots of (clockwise from top left) Audrey Hepburn (1989), Sophia Loren (1990), Margaret Thatcher (1991), and Princess Diana (1984) at their christening ceremonies for Princess Cruises ships.

[Top image via Shutterstock.com]