The announcement that Cunard’s Queen Anne will transfer to P&O Cruises in 2029 has sparked plenty of speculation about what the ship will be called when she joins her new fleet. Now, a previously registered trademark might provide one of the strongest clues yet.
Since Carnival UK confirmed the surprising fleet changes on 6th October 2026, cruise fans have been discussing everything from the ship’s future itineraries to how she will look in P&O Cruises colours.
Social media has also seen AI-generated mock-ups imagining Queen Anne with P&O’s distinctive blue funnel and Union Flag-inspired bow design. But arguably the biggest unanswered question is the name. We know Queen Anne won’t retain her Cunard identity once she becomes part of P&O Cruises, but the company has yet to reveal what that name will be.
There have already been plenty of suggestions from cruise enthusiasts, including the possibility of reviving a historic P&O name or introducing something completely new.
However, after looking into trademarks previously registered by Carnival UK, I think I’ve found a particularly strong contender.
And that name is Sirona.
Why Sirona Could Be Queen Anne’s New Name
The most interesting clue comes from trademark applications submitted by Carnival UK several years ago.
Between 2019 and 2020, the company behind P&O Cruises and Cunard registered or applied to register several potential ship names, including Sirona, King James, Mairin and Aquitania (source).
These weren’t simply names mentioned in passing. They were the subject of formal trademark applications, with records showing that Carnival UK was protecting the names for possible commercial use.
In particular, Sirona was the subject of two UK trademark applications dated 30th December 2019, under application numbers UK00003454697 and UK00003464622.
The trademarks cover activities directly associated with cruise holidays, including passenger transportation by ship, cruise bookings, onboard entertainment, restaurants and accommodation.
That’s significant because it shows the name wasn’t merely being considered for an unrelated product. Carnival UK specifically sought protection for its use in the cruise industry.
Other names were also protected around the same period. King James was the subject of an application in August 2019, while Mairin followed in December 2019. Aquitania was registered in November 2019 following an application that August.
Of course, cruise companies routinely register names they may never end up using. Holding a trademark doesn’t mean a ship is definitely going to receive that name, and these applications were made long before Queen Anne’s transfer was announced.
Sirona Seems To Fit
Nevertheless, I think Sirona stands out from the other possibilities, particularly when you look at the names P&O Cruises already uses.
The current P&O Cruises fleet consists of Arvia, Iona, Britannia, Azura, Ventura, Arcadia and Aurora.
Every single one of those seven names ends in the letter A, which makes Sirona a particularly compelling possibility.
There are similarities in the sound and style of the names, too. Several have three syllables, while others draw inspiration from mythology, history or evocative concepts.
Sirona would fit comfortably into that naming tradition, sitting naturally alongside ships such as Iona, Aurora and Azura.
In fact, of the four trademarked names, Sirona arguably sounds the most like a modern P&O Cruises ship.
It’s short, elegant, easy to remember and sounds like it belongs alongside ships such as Iona and Arvia.
King James, by comparison, would seem much more appropriate for Cunard, with its tradition of naming ships after British monarchs. Aquitania also has a strong Cunard connection, having previously been the name of one of the company’s famous ocean liners.
Mairin is another plausible option, but Sirona feels particularly well suited to P&O’s established branding.
Sirona Means Star
Then there’s the meaning behind the name, which makes the possibility even more intriguing.
Sirona has ancient Celtic origins, with its name derived from a root meaning “star”, combined with a divine suffix.
Sirona was also the name of a goddess worshipped in ancient Gaul, particularly in areas of what are now France and Germany.
In Celtic and Gallo-Roman mythology, Sirona was associated with healing, fertility and renewal, particularly through her connections with sacred wells, mineral springs and restorative waters. She was also linked through her name to celestial imagery, although evidence for a specific role as a goddess of the stars is less certain.
That makes it a rather appealing name for a cruise ship!
The connection with water is obvious, while the associations with wellbeing, renewal and the stars could lend themselves nicely to the branding of a modern holiday vessel. There’s also something fitting about the concept of rebirth for a ship that will be leaving one cruise line, undergoing a major transformation and beginning an entirely new chapter with another.
Importantly, the trademark has been sitting in Carnival UK’s portfolio for almost seven years. That doesn’t establish that the company has any current plans to use it. The original registrations could have been intended for an entirely different ship, and Carnival UK may simply have wanted to reserve several possibilities.
But the company chose to protect Sirona for cruise-related services, and the name remains a credible candidate now that it needs a new identity for Queen Anne.
It would certainly make sense to consider a name that the business has already taken steps to secure, rather than starting from scratch.
Queen Anne’s Move To P&O Cruises Confirmed For 2029
The speculation follows one of the biggest surprises in the British cruise industry in recent years, with Carnival UK confirming that Queen Anne will leave Cunard and join P&O Cruises in May 2029.
Queen Anne only entered service in May 2024, making her the newest addition to Cunard’s fleet. At approximately 113,000 gross tonnes, she will bring a different size and style of ship to P&O Cruises.
Before transferring, the vessel will complete her planned programme with Cunard, including her final World Voyage beginning in January 2029.
She is also expected to participate in Cunard’s Four Queens celebration in Liverpool in May 2028, bringing together all four of the company’s current ships.
Following her final Cunard sailings, Queen Anne will undergo an extensive refurbishment to bring her into line with the P&O Cruises brand.
That transformation is expected to include changes to her appearance and onboard offering, although the cruise line has not yet revealed the full extent of the work.
Crucially, the ship will also receive a new name.
The transfer is part of a wider reshuffling of ships within Carnival Corporation, which will also see P&O Cruises’ Arcadia leave the fleet after more than two decades.
Arcadia, which entered service in 2005, will complete a special farewell season with P&O Cruises, concluding on 21st August 2029, before transferring to Holland America Line. The move will take Holland America’s fleet to 12 ships, while P&O Cruises will gain a significantly newer vessel in Queen Anne.
For Cunard, the departure means returning to a three-ship fleet comprising Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth.
The decision has understandably surprised cruise enthusiasts, particularly as Queen Anne is still so new and was introduced as an important part of Cunard’s future.
But Carnival UK has explained that the changes are intended to better align its ships with the different experiences offered by its cruise brands.
For P&O Cruises passengers, the arrival of Queen Anne should introduce another option between the line’s smaller, more traditional vessels and its enormous Excel-class ships, Iona and Arvia.
And while there’s already considerable interest in what the refurbished ship will look like, her eventual name could prove just as significant to the company’s plans to establish her as a fully fledged member of the P&O Cruises fleet.
For now, passengers will have to wait for an official announcement. And I wouldn’t be surprised if the name eventually unveiled was one that Carnival UK quietly registered several years ago.
Sirona.
It’s important to stress that this is still entirely my own speculation. I haven’t seen any announcement, leaked document or other evidence confirming that Carnival UK has selected the name.
And a trademark registered in 2019 is by no means proof of what will happen in 2029. Carnival UK could choose another name it already owns, revive a name from P&O’s history or register something completely different.
However, given the existing trademark, its clear connection to cruise services, its meaning and how naturally it fits alongside the names already used by P&O Cruises, Sirona is currently my strongest guess.
Whether that turns out to be correct remains to be seen…
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