Thousands of people are expected to line the shores of the Mersey today as Cunard’s three flagship liners sail down the river framed by the magnificent Liverpool skyline.

The Three Queens spectacle celebrates the famous shipping line’s formation 175 years ago in its original home port.

Crowds will line both shores of the river to watch as the Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria sail down the river and perform choreographed manoeuvres on the Mersey.

Cunard was founded in 1840, with Sir Samuel Cunard’s mail steamship RMS Britannia beginning its transatlantic service to Halifax and Boston from Liverpool.

The transatlantic shipping trade transported about 11 million emigrants to the New World from Europe between 1860 and 1900, about a third of them sailing from Liverpool.

A firework display will end today’s spectacle, the culmination of a weekend of maritime exhibitions and events in the city.

The Three Queens ‘river dance’ will receive a finishing touch with the addition of a fly-past by the Red Arrows at 1.50pm as the fleet completes its manoeuvres.

Cunard director Angus Struthers said: “The flypast by the Red Arrows will add an amazing extra wow to the day - nine jets in the sky, three Queens on the river and one magnificent city.

“What an unforgettable combination that will be. I urge everyone to come and see the spectacle, soak up the atmosphere and become part of a really special, once-in-a-lifetime event.”

Later this year the original Cunard transatlantic crossing will be recreated as the Queen Mary 2 sails from Liverpool on the same route the Britannia took, to Halifax, Boston and New York.