At the ripe old age of 92, media mogul Rupert Murdoch has found himself a young new squeeze and took her for a spin on a strangely decorated superyacht in a bid to win her affections.
It will come as no surprise to you that flexing some time away on a superyacht can have a pretty impressive effect on a potential love interest (unless they happen to be an environmental activist living by a Spanish port, of course…). Jeff Bezos has had an incredibly successful run of late by deploying this very tactic, even adding a bust of his newly betrothed partner to the front of his $700m superyacht.
Now Murdoch, having called off his most recent engagement, is looking to replicate that maritime magic. As reported by the AFR and Pajiba amongst many others, Murdoch is now in a relationship with Elena Zhukova, a 66-year-old retired molecular biologist. In an effort to win over the most recent object of Murdoch’s affections, the duo headed out into the Mediterranian aboard the legendary yacht Christina O, which comes equipped with some pretty novel design features…
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This news comes only four months after Murdoch called off his brief engagement to Ann Lesley Smith, who would have been his fifth wife. Insider reports suggest that Murdoch grew increasingly uneasy with Smith’s vocal evangelical beliefs, leading to the dissolution of their engagement.
This development follows the pattern set the previous year when Murdoch parted ways with his fourth wife, Jerry Hall, through an email that promptly marked the end of their marriage. Interestingly Hall, — known for her earlier marriage to Russian oligarch and former Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich — was prohibited from offering story ideas to the creators of the TV series “Succession.”
WATCH: Whose vessel do you prefer? Bezos’ $700m beast for Murdoch’s whale-inspired ride…
Elena Zhukova entered Murdoch’s orbit through a connection to his third wife, Wendi Deng. Deng’s friendship with Elena’s daughter — 42-year-old socialite Dasha Zhukova — facilitated an introduction which has been quickly followed up with a lavish maritime adventure on the Christina O, a vessel once owned by Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis.
This illustrious superyacht — named after Onassis’ daughter, Christina — is a converted WWII frigate that boasts a mosaic pool that transforms into a dance floor and bar stools crafted from whale foreskin. Quickly becoming a favourite with the rich and famous after launching in the 1950s, the vessel has hosted Winston Churchill, Frank Sinatra, JFK, John Wayne, Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, and many more.
Valued at over $62 million AUD (~$40 million USD), the boat costs $1.2 million AUD (~$767,000 USD) for a week-long charter and recently appeared in the hit satire Triangle of Sadness. Accompanied by Murdoch’s daughters, 22-year-old Grace and 20-year-old Chloe, the 325-foot-long, 18-bedroom superyacht ensured plenty of scope for the lovebirds to enjoy time alone.
Whether this will flourish into Murdoch’s next marriage or be nipped in the bud by a typically curt email remains to be seen, but at least everyone got to enjoy a spin on one of the world’s most illustrious vessels.