QE2 - art shock

Government lawyers have begun a rush investigation to establish whether they can block the export of works of art on board the QE2 before it travels to Dubai later this year.

The ship was sold complete with an unmatchable collection of royal memorabilia and art treasures including a portrait of the late Queen Mother painted by Sir Oswald Birley and one by Edward Halliday of Princess Elizabeth shortly after her marriage to the Duke of Edinburgh.

One of the criteria for ‘a national treasure’ licence is that the works of art must have been in Britain for 50 years or more, but the argument made for the sale is that the liner has spent most of its life in international waters, therefore the objects cannot be classed as national treasures. The new owners are not legally required to preserve the interior. The ship was sold last year for £50?million and will become a floating hotel resort.