If Queen Elizabeth is late for her naming date in Southampton in October, blame Fincantieri's Monfalcone shipyard in Italy where it is being built because seems they have been otherwise engaged, building this rather lovely cutaway model of the ship.
It was unveiled at Seatrade in Miami this week, is eight feet long, nearly two feet high and weighs almost 80kg, and it gives you a idea what this new Queen will look like.
I suspect Cunard president and managing director Peter Shanks, right, is trying to locate the cabin with his name on, with the help of Fincantieri's CEO Giuseppe Bono.
Wonder what they will do with the model when the real Queen comes out. They could always put it on board and see how much they can get for it at one of the art auctions. It would at last be something passengers might like to buy.
Cunard also announced the new QE's 2011 itinerary this week, which includes cruises to the Mediterranean and Israel, the Baltic, Norwegian fjords, the Canary Islands and around the British Isles.
In other words, the standard cruise fare offered by ships based in Southampton.
Far more exciting is the Royal Rendezvous on January 13 2011, when all three Cunard Queens will be meeting in New York - three years to the day after Queen Mary 2, QE2 and Queen Victoria met there. It'll be quite a moment.
Jane Archer
