The luxury yacht that Princess Diana spent her final holiday in 1997 on is about to go up for sale. At the time Diana holidayed in St Tropez on it, the superyacht was named Jonikal. It has since been bought and sold a few times and is currently known as Bash. Its most recent owner bought it in June last year, but now reportedly wants to upgrade to a bigger boat.
The yacht was owned by Mohamed Al-Fayed, who tried to sell the superyacht various times after his son Dodi (Diana’s partner at the time) and the Princess of Wales were killed in a car accident in Paris in 1997.
Al-Fayed, who used to own Fulham FC and Harrods, eventually sold the 63-metre vessel in 2014. It has changed hands a couple of times since then, going by such names as Sokar and Bash.
The yacht was most recently owned by a rich businessman called Bassim Haidar, who purchased the superyacht last year and now reportedly wants to trade it in for a bigger vessel.
House & Garden UK reports that the boat is currently being refitted “with plans to launch it for sale next month.” The luxury yacht was designed by navel architect Vincenzo Ruggiero in the 1980s, and was first launched in 1990. It reportedly has nine staterooms capable of accommodating up to 18 guests and 26 crew.
The yacht also has a jacuzzi, a swim platform, a sun deck, a formal dining room, a bar, and office space. Though there is no official asking price yet for this September’s imminent sale, it was previously listed for $10,000,000 (and it last sold for around $14 million).
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The yacht will be listed for sale through Seawood Yachts next month, with director John Wood telling House & Garden: “She is in the yard being refitted, and will be launched for sale in September.”
Princess Diana holidayed on the yacht in July 1997 in St Tropez, cruising in the Mediterranean for about four weeks. It was during this time the iconic shot of her sitting on a diving board was taken. Prince William and Prince Harry joined Princess Diana for part of the trip – before she continued on to Paris with her partner at the time Dodi Al-Fayed.
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