IT will be in Southampton on Monday, December 10 this year that the Duchess of Cornwall will establish herself, once and for all, as a true Royal.

On that date she will join an exclusive club, whose members are all recognised as being among the Royal Family's premier division, when she performs the official naming ceremony of the new Cunard ship, Queen Victoria.

When, earlier this week, Cunard announced that the Duchess of Cornwall had accepted an invitation to name QV it was the continuation of a long-held company tradition which, over the decades, has seen a succession of leading members of the Royal Family perform this prestigious ceremony.

Accompanied at the ceremony by the Prince of Wales, Camilla will be following in the footsteps of the Queen, the Princess Royal and Diana, Princess of Wales, who have all named liners or cruise ships in Southampton.

Ever since the £300m vessel began taking shape in an Italian shipyard, there has been intense speculation as to who would become QV's "godmother'', a role whose roots are lost in ancient history.

For some, the choice of the Duchess to be the guest of honour at an event that is bound to attract worldwide interest, was a bold move by Cunard, but one that confirms the former Camilla Parker-Bowles as a top-drawer member of the Royal establishment.

Although the Duchess has carried out a number of public engagements, including a visit to Southampton General Hospital just a month after she married the Prince of Wales in April 2005, she became embroiled in controversy over whether or not she should attend the recent service of commemoration marking the tenth anniversary of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales.

Camilla's appointment in Southampton will not attract such headlines but it is certain that the go-ahead for the Duchess to undertake the naming of QV would have only been given after consultations at the highest level within Buckingham Palace.

The Duchess will be under intense scrutiny as she sends the bottle crashing against the ship's hull in front of an international audience of more than 2,000 people who will fly in from all corners of the globe to attend the naming ceremony.

How she annouces the famous words: "I name this ship...", the clothes she will wear and her confidence under the spotlight of the public's gaze will all be closely scrutinised as the duchess takes centre stage and, in so doing, increases her prominence as the future Princess Consort.

Cunard, probably the most famous name in British shipping, is known to be delighted that Camilla and the Prince of Wales will add the royal seal of approval to the introduction into service of QV, especially as the ship will bear such a regal name.

Cunard president and managing director Carol Marlow said: "This will be a historic occasion. We are most honoured that their Royal Highnesses have accepted our invitation and that Her Royal Highness will name our newest Cunarder.

"Every one of our Cunard Queens has been named by a member of the Royal Family, and we are therefore delighted that Queen Victoria will follow in that tradition.

"In addition, this particular ceremony will mark the beginning of a new era, as it will be the first time in our 168-year history that we will have three Cunard Queens in service at the same time.'' However this will only be for a relatively short time, as on Tuesday, November 11 next year the legendary Queen Elizabeth 2 will leave Southampton for the final time, after 41 years of service, to become a floating hotel in the oil-rich Middle East state of Dubai.

Plans for the ceremony are already well advanced, with Cunard having the reputation for staging memorable and spectacular events on the Southampton waterfront.

It was in January, 2004 that the Queen named Queen Mary 2 in what was hailed the best ship christening ceremony to date.

So Cunard have much to live up to next December when QV arrives in her home port of Southampton for the first time.

These days, due to the advanced technology used in the building of modern cruise ships, vessels no longer dramatically slide down the slipway into the water but instead are "floated out'' of the construction dry-dock and then completed at a nearby berth in the yard.

After sea trials and acceptance by the owners the ship is then named by her "godmother'' - usually a member of royalty or a big show business name - just before her maiden voyage.

In 1934 an elderly Queen Mary launched the great Cunarder that was named after her, while in 1938 the late Queen Mother performed the ceremony that launched the former Southampton liner Queen Elizabeth.

It was in 1967 that the present Queen named QE2 on the Clyde, and in April 1995 she performed the ceremony for P&O Cruises' ship Oriana in Southampton.

In 1984 the late Princess of Wales christened the cruise ship Royal Princess in Southampton. In June 2005 she was remembered when the vessel became Artemis - the Greek name for the Roman goddess Diana.

Cunard's new QV has a capacity for 2,014 passengers, and will be in Southampton for four days, during which time more than 7,000 guests, including hundreds from overseas, will be welcomed on board the ship before she departs on her maiden voyage on December 11.