Queen Victoria replaced him. Salisbury remained prime minister for the remainder of Victoria's reign. On 23 September 1896, Victoria surpassed her grandfather George III as the longest-reigning monarch in British history. The Queen requested that any special celebrations be delayed until 1897, to coincide with her Diamond Jubilee, which was made a festival of the British Empire at the suggestion of the Colonial Secretary, Joseph Chamberlain. The prime ministers of all the self-governing Dominions were invited to London for the festivities. One reason for including the prime ministers of the Dominions and excluding foreign heads of state was to avoid having to
MS Queen Victoria the tradition of Cunard "Queens" being named by royalty. The bottle of champagne did not break upon impact with "Queen Victoria's" hull, which according to nautical superstition is a bad omen. However, a backup bottle was immediately successful. Captain Paul Wright was appointed as the first master of "Queen Victoria" in October 2006. Captain Christopher Rynd became secondary master. Captain Ian McNaught briefly commanded "Queen Victoria" before transferring to Seabourn. "Queen Victoria" undertook her maiden voyage, a 10-day cruise to northern Europe, on 11 December 2007. Following this and a cruise to the Canary Islands, "Queen Victoria" embarked on her