Moment champagne bottle smashes against the Queen Anne

A sea of confetti rained down on spectators as the Queen Anne was officially named.

A 12-litre bottle of champagne was smashed against the hull of the ship, which is the 249th ship to carry the Cunard name. Having recently taken her maiden voyage, Cunard's new liner Queen Anne arrived in Liverpool this morning for her naming ceremony.

People waited for hours along the Pier Head to enjoy the entertainment put on to celebrate the naming ceremony. The day was packed with performances by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, with more stars scheduled to perform later this evening.

READ MORE: Live updates as Cunard Queen Anne event with Andrea Bocelli performance takes place in Liverpool

READ MORE: 70 stunning pictures inside Cunard's Queen Anne ship with a casino and artisan food hall

The formal ceremony concluded with legendary Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli performing Time To Say Goodbye before the bottle smash. The event's hosts, Emma and Matt Willis, returned to the stage to oversee the bottle breaking ceremony, an important naval tradition that's both a public celebration and a way of blessing the ship - and her crew - in an attempt to bring it good fortune on its voyages.

Matt said: "As you can see, it's not your average-sized bottle. It's 12 litres of champagne and I've found out it's called a 'balthazar'. This bottle is the sister bottle of the one currently on board."

The bottle, adorned with a red bow and ribbon and rigged in the air, was broadcast on the Pier Head's screens for all to see. Matt added: "The icons will pull the lever on the telegraph which will release the bottle hanging on board. The bottle will then zoom down a zipline breaking on the ship's name."

Emma and Matt asked the five special icons honoured at the event to step on stage to release the lever. Spice Girl Melanie C, broadcaster and community leader Ngunan Adamu, local restaurant entrepreneur Natalie Haywood, Liverpool music and cultural legend Jayne Casey, and British Olympian heptathlon athlete Katarina Johnson-Thomson returned to the stage to initiate the bottle smash.

The audience was asked to recite the official naming ceremony words along with the ship's captain. In unison, they said: "We name this ship Queen Anne. May God bless her and all who sail in her."

The bottle was then released and smashed into the ship before unleashing a wave of confetti on the crowds below.

Receive top stories on everything going on in Merseyside including events, shopping and food and drink through our newsletter by signing up here