Viking has announced that British broadcast journalist Anne Diamond will be the godmother of its seventh ocean chip, Viking Venus. This emerged from a press release.
Diamond is a well-known journalist in the UK and beyond, having hosted various TV and radio shows on the BBC, ITV, and LBC. She is also a regular columnist for the Daily Mail newspaper.
“From the fall of the Berlin Wall, Australia’s bicentenary and the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer, to interviews with Bette Davis, Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh – Anne’s impressive journalistic journey has made her a household name,” wrote Viking.
Diamond also pioneered the 1991 UK cot death campaign, following the death of her own son, Sebastian. The campaign saved over 20,000 babies’ lives and has inspired other life-saving campaigns worldwide.
“She is the only non-medic ever to hold the Medal of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health,” Viking added.
Additionally, Diamond has done a lot of work for the cruise line’s own TV channel, Viking TV.
“Since the day we paused operations, Anne immediately volunteered to help our guests and crew manage through this period of uncertainty. …Anne became the face of Viking.TV on her weekly Thursday live streams, where she has interviewed many interesting friends of Viking while brightening the days of nearly two million viewers. There is no one more deserving to become the godmother of Viking Venus than Anne,” said Executive Vice President of Viking, Karine Hagen.
The 930-passenger Viking Venus is scheduled to debut in spring 2021. It was “floated out” in June 2020 and is now under final construction at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Ancona, Italy, the cruise line stated.
