British Agent Named Anthem of the Seas Godmother

Royal Caribbean International has announced that travel agent Emma Wilby, 27, from Sunderland, U.K., is the Godmother for its newest ship, Anthem of the Seas.

Upholding a timeless maritime tradition, Wilby will officially christen Anthem of the Seas and perform a special song for more than 1,300 invited special guests and dignitaries at the ship’s inaugural ceremony in Southampton, U.K., on April 20. The will sail its inaugural season from Southampton before the ship repositions to its permanent homeport of New York in November.

In addition to being a travel agent for Thomson, Wilby is a military wife and budding singer who performs in the Military Wives Choir in Kinloss, Scotland, where she is based with her husband, a Royal Engineer for the British Army. To help her prepare for inaugural day, Craig Yates, Team Captain from British choir group Only Boys Aloud will be Wilby’s vocal coach, and Royal Caribbean is treating her to a full makeover.

The Godmother role is a lifetime title bestowed upon an individual, who figuratively presides over the ship and imparts good luck and divine protection over the vessel and all that sail aboard. Traditionally, Godmothers have celebrity status or even royal connections, such as Royal Caribbean Godmothers Gloria Estefan, Jane Seymour, Whoopi Goldberg and Steffi Graf, to name a few.

“I still can’t believe I won,” said Wilby after being informed of her new title earlier this week. “I am really honoured to have been chosen. I am hugely excited to be taking on the role of Godmother for Anthem of the Seas – it will be incredible to sing in front of all these people and a real honor to give the ship the best sendoff possible.”