HRH The Duchess of Cornwall christened Saga’s new boutique cruise ship in a special naming ceremony in the Port of Dover today (5 July 2019).

On arrival, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, was greeted by dignitaries, including Saga’s chairman Patrick O’Sullivan and the company’s chief executive Lance Batchelor. The royal godmother was given a short tour of the ship and unveiled a commemorative plaque, before she was joined by 500 guests at the garden party-themed reception to celebrate Spirit of Discovery officially joining the Saga family.

As she toasted the new ship, the Duchess of Cornwall gave a short speech: “It is huge pleasure to be here today with Saga. I know that Saga has a proud history of charitable endeavours. I name this ship Spirit of Discovery. May God bless her and all who sail on her.”

CEO of Saga Robin Shaw commented how this was “an amazingly proud moment for Saga” as the ship marks a significant new era for the brand:

“This ship is special because it is the only small new-build ship launched in the UK for decades,” he said. “She is small, but perfectly formed. We have invested in the latest tech to reduce the impact on the environment. We are a boutique hotel at sea and will set the standard in luxury UK sailings.”

During the tour of the boutique ship, the Duchess was introduced to Captain Burgess, who was quoted saying: “It is a great honour to command this ship. The last few weeks have been very exciting. The ship more than lives up to our expectations. We cannot wait for her maiden voyage around the British Isles, on a British flagged ship.”

The 999-passenger vessel has been designed with “the vision of creating Britain’s first boutique hotel at sea” and has been built and delivered exclusively for the British market this year.

CEO of Saga Group Lance Batchelor said: “Spirit of Discovery represents a great British company with a great heritage in the middle of a rebirth. She also represents our country at a time of momentous change. We have operated six ships before Discovery, but she is the first ship purpose-built for Saga.”

The naming ceremony marked a historic moment in Dover as Spirit of Discovery is the first ship to be named in the coastal town for more than a decade at the port’s Dover Western Docks, following a £250 million redevelopment.

Commenting on this, Doug Bannister, chief executive of the Port of Dover, said: “This momentous occasion is testament to the outstanding partnership we have built with Saga and represents an exciting future for us as a Port, as we take a step closer to fully unveiling our Western Docks redevelopment.”

Spirit of Discovery will set sail on its inaugural cruise, A British First, on 10 July, departing from Dover, and will sail around the British Isles.