Today, the Queen will say goodbye to the luxury cruise ship, the QE2, which was named in her honour.

The ship was named after Queen Elizabeth II when her majesty launched it in 1967.  Today, her majesty will watch the ship set sail from Southampton and later this year, the ship will retire.

The ceremony today was to mark the 55th anniversary of the Queen’s coronation.  At midday, a 41-gun salute was fired to celebrate the occasion and a 62-gun salute one hour later.

Around 300 people were invited to the event, including nine QE2 captains.  The ship will finally retire in November this year after over 40 years in service, however, that is not the end for the vessel.

The ship has been sold to Dubai World for approximately £50 million and is to be turned into a luxury floating hotel.  It will be situated close to the man-made Palm Jumeirah island, just off the coast of Dubai.  This means that if you never had the chance to stay in the QE2 whilst she sailed, you can still have the opportunity of a luxury holiday in the QE2 and combine it with a visit to Dubai.