Camilla & the curse of the bottle
2007-12-11 13:34
London - For the superstitious and seafarers it is a bad omen. When the woman who could become Britain's next queen officially named a new luxury cruise liner, the champagne bottle did not smash.
As a flag-waving audience looked on, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, pushed the button to send the bubbly crashing into the side of the 90 000-ton Queen Victoria. But nothing happened.
The bottle eventually swung into the hull, then bounced off. Eventually, a second bottle of Veuve Clicquot was smashed manually over the side at the ceremony in Southampton, on England's south coast, on Tuesday.
British media attempted to read the runes on Tuesday, drawing parallels to previous occasions when the champagne failed to break, and hoping it does not also spell bad luck for heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles's second wife.
There have already been rumblings of discontent about Camilla's choice for the ceremony as in Britain tradition has it that Queen Elizabeth II launches and names ships bearing a monarch's name.
The Aurora, named by Princess Anne, broke down on its maiden voyage in 2000. Three years later, its passengers fell ill with a virus, then in 2005 its engines failed.
The Queen Victoria - a sister ship to Cunard line's Queen Elizabeth II and Queen Mary II - sets off on its maiden voyage around northern Europe on Wednesday.
"The Duchess will no doubt be hoping that the £300m vessel can shake off the curse of the unbroken bottle," The Times said.
- AFP