( CNN ) -- Sporting a growing `` baby bump , '' Catherine , Duchess of Cambridge , named a cruise ship on England 's south coast Thursday , in what is expected to be her last solo public engagement before her child is due next month . Wearing a stylish black and white animal print coat , she cut a cord to send the traditional bottle of champagne smashing against the hull of the Royal Princess . The ceremony in the city of Southampton also included a blessing by the Bishop of Winchester , the Right Rev . Tim Dakin , a performance by British pop singer Natasha Bedingfield and music from military bands . Catherine was then to be given a brief tour of the cruise liner , as its `` godmother . '' Gallery : The Duchess of Cambridge 's best looks . The ship , owned by Princess Cruises and with room for 3,600 passengers , will embark on its maiden voyage Sunday . The Royal Princess will then sail Mediterranean cruises through the summer and Eastern Caribbean cruises in the fall . According to Princess Cruises , the huge ship houses the largest pastry store to be found at sea . There was a gala dinner Wednesday night for guests at the naming ceremony , who included representatives of the charities for which Catherine serves as patron . The Royal Princess was built for Princess Cruises , a part of Carnival Corp. , at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone , Italy . Alan Buckelew , the line 's president and CEO , paid tribute to its British heritage in a speech ahead of the champagne smash , with a reference to its origins in the former London-registered Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co. , better known as P & O . Prince William 's late mother , Diana , Princess of Wales , was `` godmother '' to the original Royal Princess liner , which launched from Southampton in 1984 . She and Catherine pronounced the same words as they played their role in the official naming ceremony , saying : `` I name this ship Royal Princess . May God bless her and all who sail in her . '' Watch : 'Kate and Diana . a royal comparison . Other `` godmothers '' for the cruise line 's ships include the late British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and actresses Sophia Loren and Audrey Hepburn . Heir to the throne . It 's not known if Catherine and Prince William are expecting a boy or a girl , but a change in royal succession laws means that their first child will be the heir to the British throne regardless of gender . The couple married in London 's Westminster Abbey in April 2011 . William is second in line to the throne after his father , Prince Charles . Queen Elizabeth II , William 's grandmother , last week celebrated 60 years since her coronation . On Monday , she paid a birthday visit to her husband , Prince Philip , in the hospital where he 's convalescing after undergoing abdominal surgery last Friday . The Duke of Edinburgh , age 92 , could stay in the hospital for another week , according to a palace statement . CNN 's David Wilkinson contributed to this report .
Duchess of Cambridge names a new Princess Cruises ship , the Royal Princess . She smashes a bottle of champagne against the ship 's hull for good luck . Catherine and Prince William are expecting their first child next month . The child will be heir to the British throne regardless of its gender .