Did You Know....? - All At Sea

The famous liner the Queen Mary should ahve been called the Queen Victoria. Prior to the launch in 1934, Sir Thomas Royden, a director of shipbuilders Cunard, asked King George V for permission to call the new liner the Queen Victoria. But Royden made his request in rather flowery language, asking whether the vessel could be "named after the greatest queen this country has ever known". The king misunderstood and answered: "That is the greatest compliment ever paid to my wife. I shall ask her." The kings wife, Queen Mary, was suitable flattered, leaving Cunard with no choice but to amend his plans.