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Sarafsa: The story behind the 82m superyacht once owned by the Saudi royal family

When 82-metre Sarafsa joined the brokerage market she presented a ripe opportunity for refit, but her dated interior called for a buyer that could see beyond the brocade. Risa Merl tells the story of the former royal yacht...

There are private yachts, and then there are royal yachts. The opportunity to get a glimpse inside the latter is incredibly rare, making the chance to finally see a yacht like 82-metre Sarafsa in the flesh all the more intriguing. Designed inside and out by Winch Design and launched in 2008 at Devonport Yachts in the UK, for the past 15 years the yacht’s interior has remained a mystery, with her capacious volume only hinting at what wonders might be held inside. It was only when Sarafsa was listed for sale by Burgess that BOAT International had a chance for a closer look at the yacht originally built for Saudi Arabia’s Prince Fahad Bin Sultan.

With her gleaming joinery and ornate furnishings, stepping on board Sarafsa feels a bit like stepping back in time, but in truth she was ahead of her time in many ways compared to yachts of her day. From her staggering 3,200GT of volume to the two-storey owner’s apartment and the explosion-proof lazarette built to carry a Mini Moke car, she is full of forward-thinking features. Moored nearby in Monaco at the time of our visit is another 2008 launch, the 85-metre Abeking & Rasmussen B2 , which at 2,150GT is still nearly a thousand gross tons smaller than Sarafsa in volume. “They are the same length, but from a distance B2 looks like a 60-metre in comparison to Sarafsa ,” says Rupert Nelson, Burgess director and senior sales broker.

Sarafsa ’s designer, Andrew Winch, agrees with Nelson that she was ahead of the pack in terms of volume. “Most of the 80-metre yachts back then were probably half the volume,” says the Winch Design founder, noting another comparison, that if you put Sarafsa side-by-side with the 92-metre Lürssen Phoenix 2 that Sarafsa is still bigger by volume. “I think she was 10 years ahead of the trend that ‘big is beautiful’ without making her so big that she can’t go in most harbours or into the dock in Monaco,” he says. “This is a yacht you could live on board for three to four months, you could make it your island, your own floating home.”

Winch Design created the previous Sarafsa as well, a 54-metre launched at Amels in 1998, now named Faribana V . That project had started out at 28 metres and nearly doubled in size. The 54-metre Sarafsa was one of the first yachts that Winch Design created and marked the beginning of a fruitful partnership with both the shipyard and the owner.

The designer soon learned of the original owner’s love for classic Mediterranean glamour and the coastal hotels that are beacons of bygone luxury, such as Belmond's Splendido Hotel in Portofino and Hotel Cipriani in Venice. “The first Sarafsa embodied those ideals,” says Winch, recounting an interior filled with marquetry panels depicting different Mediterranean scenes. “It was the sense of sailing into the Monaco of old, Prince Rainier’s Monaco, and taking in the aura of these places when you step on board.” The former owner was a lover of Riva runabouts, and the first Sarafsa had a wooden transom that opened to reveal a custom Riva tender.

Eight years later, the client came to Winch requesting a yacht with more space and more amenities, such as a gym, swimming pool and helipad, to name a few. Like her predecessor, she is a love letter to the French Riviera and the classic Rivas that plied these waters. “The principal’s passion was the Cote d’Azur,” says Winch. “The concept of Sarafsa centred around his admiration for the ocean and time spent in the harbour of Portofino or Monaco. He loved that whole Princess Grace era. He had a very romantic and engaging admiration for those times when leisure was happy and relaxed. Life on board was about good food, a glass of wine, laughter and sunshine on your face.”

The second Sarafsa was built at Devonport Yachts with naval architecture by Burness Corlett and Three Quays. The exterior was intended to be purposefully understated. “It’s less of a statement, more of a stately elegance,” says Winch. “When she’s anchored in a bay, it’s about calm. The yacht isn’t shouting ‘look at me’ and there isn’t music blaring. If there was going to be music, it would be Bocelli singing privately indoors.” The yacht’s logo, which Winch penned as well, was an eagle and an anchor, and he also designed the original crew uniforms.

Despite her more recent state of disuse, Sarafsa ’s interior has been maintained incredibly well over the years and showed surprisingly few signs of ageing in terms of the surfaces and soft furnishings when we stepped inside. Her joinery gleamed as if it were new and the carpets looked as if they had hardly been trodden on. Though she is certainly dated, with old televisions – walls of multiple TVs, in fact, to watch multiple channels at once – and corded phones dotted around that give away her age. Sadly, the same well-maintained condition could not be said for the exterior, which showed a desperate need for a paint job. Many of the systems on board, from the electronics to the engines and spa equipment, were also overdue an upgrade.

“The interior is beautifully classic, but it could be changed to suit a contemporary style as well,” says Winch. At the heart of the yacht is a showstopper of a staircase that spirals up through a grand atrium. There are main deck entrances to port and starboard, so no matter how she’s docked, there’s no disadvantage to the owner.

The day head bathrooms are wheelchair accessible and a lift goes from the lower deck right up to the sun deck – likely these accessibility decisions were made with elderly family members in mind. In terms of privacy, guests can step aboard at the starboard-side waterside dock and have the lift whisk them to any deck without having to walk through the boat. “No one sees them going there, so it’s very discrete,” says Winch. There was even a security cabin down at this entry point that any guests would have to pass by.

The commissioning owner also was inspired by the Castello Brown in Portofino, which gave Winch an immediate connection as this castle was actually owned by his step-grandfather. Sarafsa ’s beauty salon has bottle glass doors that were directly inspired by Castello Brown, and the doors to the formal dining room were inspired by the castle as well. The enormous wood table in the formal dining room sits at least 16 and can be used as one large table or be separated into two separate tables for more intimate dining.

The first Sarafsa had the owner’s cabin forward. For the new boat, he wanted to be higher up and sleep with the windows open, so Winch put the bedroom aft, with a stern-facing bed that opens up onto a private terrace. The owner’s deck is set above the wheelhouse and beneath the sun deck. There are two cabins on the owner’s deck, his and her bedrooms, if you will. This deck also has a forward observation lounge and a cabin for the valet.

“The client took a wonderful pleasure in clothes, so there’s a dressing room as well as a wardrobe where the valet would assist him,” adds Winch. “And the forward lounge looks out over the bow, so if you’re cruising down the Amalfi Coast, you can see everything the captain would see without having to go into the bridge – it’s like his own wheelhouse.” Harry’s Bar in Venice was the inspiration for the owner’s forward lounge, with pear wood joinery setting the serene scene. Somewhat unusually, the sun deck above was also considered part of the owner’s private domain. Stairs lead up to the partially covered sun deck, which houses a gym, spa (including hammam and sauna) and a therapy swimming pool. “It’s the only yacht I know with an owner’s duplex,” says Winch.

The wheelhouse deck, with a cinema, aft lounge and winter garden dining area, was the realm of entertainment. The dark and dusky aft piano lounge has a sunken bar, which was inspired by another favourite hotel of the commissioning owner, the Hotel Principe di Savoia in Milan. Here, the owner could sit in a normal lounge chair while at the bar, with the barman standing two steps below, which he much preferred over perching on a high bar stool. The first Sarafsa had a sunken bar as well, and the client had asked Winch to go stay at the hotel in Milan to see the bar and recreate it.

Guest cabins are spread between the main and wheelhouse decks. There is a nod to the original owner’s love of the Mediterranean in the naming of the cabins, which include the Portofino, Monaco and Santorini suites, all decked out in different hued soft goods and artworks that speak to the theme of each port or island.

The lower deck has nine staff cabins, which are entirely separate from the crew accommodations. “The staff cabins are very unique to a royal yacht,” says Nelson. “There’d be bodyguards, maybe a massage therapist, second chefs, nurses and doctors. We didn’t manage the boat then, so can’t say for sure who was in the entourage. But you could fit 13 or 14 people in the lower-deck staff cabins, not to mention the valet cabin up on the owner’s deck.”

The crew cabins are set forward of the engine room, connected by a continuous corridor, which was one of the first yachts to have this on the lower deck, Winch notes. Sarafsa has a huge crew remit, with room for 23 crew. “There’s a big crew mess, which is great for us,” says captain Gordon Percy, who was hired to be the interim captain during the sale of the yacht, but is reported to be staying on during the refit with the new owners. There is a crew galley, crew mess and an additional staff mess.

Sarafsa joining the brokerage market presented an interesting opportunity for a refit project, with an owner able to secure a large yacht in a short period of time. “The shipyards are saturated,” says Nelson. “You’ve got a lot of issues with lack of build slots, supply chain issues and inflation. And the time it would take to build this boat today new is four to five years. She’s not a 50, 60-metre yacht. She’s more than 3,000GT and 82 metres – she’s a big lady.”

She could also be fitted out to be a world-class expedition yacht, Winch notes. “She could go cruising up the Amazon or to Antarctica carrying six tenders – not many 82-metre yachts can do that,” he says. “And if you wanted to carry a submarine as well, she already has this cane designed to lift a car that could lift a sub.” Should the new owners decide to offer her for charter, she could be a charter star with plentiful room for toys.

Now renamed Pure after her sale – secured in just seven months – Sarafsa is on the verge of a major refit project, which is to be managed by JMS Yachting. If the buyer prefers traditional high-gloss joinery, they could save the bones of Sarafsa and update the soft goods and furnishings. There are certain design details that stand the test of time – it would be a shame to tear out the grand staircase, for instance.

But the new owner’s exact plans for refitting the yacht remain under wraps for now. Whatever the new owner has planned for Sarafsa , one thing is for certain, she has the beam and volume to carry nearly any design one might dream of. The new owner, says captain Percy, is “motivated and willing to consecrate the time and money to bring her back to her former glory and some more.” This former-royal yacht will have her day in the sun once again.

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Prince Abdulaziz

Motor Yacht

Prince Abdulaziz is a 147 metre yacht built in 1984, making it the largest yacht built in the 20th Century.

Indeed, Prince Abdulaziz held the crown the for world's largest yacht until it was outstripped by Dubai (also listed) in 2006. 

As one of the yachts of the Saudi Royal Family, Prince Abdulaziz is used to conduct official business as well as for pleasure. The interior alone took 15 months to complete. Originally built for the late King Fahd of Saudi Arabia who named the yacht after his son, it is now owned by his brother Abddullah.

Prince Abdullaziz was custom built by Helsingor Vaerft; one of Denmark's largest shipyards dating back to the late 19th Century, until their close in the 1980s due to increased competition from new foreign arrivals. 

This mega-yacht also features interior design by the late David Hicks, an English interior decorator and designer whose distinct use of bold colours, lighting and combination of modern and classical features earned him a distinguishable reputation in many countries around the world during his lifetime. 

• Yacht Builder Helsingor Vaerft No profile available
• Naval Architect Maierform Maritime Technology No profile available
• Exterior Designer Maierform Maritime Technology No profile available
• Interior Designer David Hicks No profile available

Yacht Specs

Other helsingor vaerft yacht.

Sneak a peek into the lavish interiors of Saudi Crown Prince's yacht

        View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by BENEDETTA IOVANE, The Luxury Yacht Lady (@b.lex_benedettaiovane)

The megayacht owned by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, worth $400 million, features a special snow room for the royal family to relax in during the scorching waves in Riyadh.

It's no secret that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud of Saudi Arabia has refined taste. This is particularly evident in his 133.9-meter yacht Serene, valued at $400 million, which sails as a testament to his taste.

The superyacht offers much more than its robust exterior, high price, and impressive length. Many elements in the interior make Serene a true masterpiece. One prominent feature is the snow room. This special room is cooled to minus 12 degrees and has real snow falling from the ceiling. In addition to the warm Saudi summers, the snow room is ideal for relaxation and a jump into the sauna.

The 133.9-meter yacht from Fincantieri shipyard was the first to include a snow room when it was delivered in 2011. Several motor yachts such as Faith and Ragnar have followed suit, but not all can boast such beautifully executed spaces like Serene.

This work by Reymond Langton Design studio stands out among other striking features and a seemingly endless list of amenities. Interestingly, the snow room is part of Serene thanks to its original owner, Russian oligarch Yuri Shefler. The deep-pocketed owner wanted a room on his yacht where actual snow would fall.

"The clients wanted a place on the yacht where they could enjoy real snow. When the client is from a cold country like Russia, where they're used to ice baths, it's quite normal. However, it's quite incredible to see this fresh, beautiful snow on a yacht—and quite surreal to look out the window into the sun and people in swimsuits."

This Italian-made yacht is so impressive that even billionaire Bill Gates couldn't resist its charms and rented it (for $5 million per week in 2014) for a few days for a family vacation.

        View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by SuperYachtFan (@superyachtfan)

What makes Serene so special that it stands out among a sea of superyachts? Serene is the largest yacht ever built in Italy and has over 400 square meters of interior space spread across seven decks, two helipads, and a hangar. Considering the large families that stay on the yacht Serene, the thoughtful Crown Prince has also installed a children's playground with a climbing wall. Depending on the entertainment needs, one of the two helipads can transform into another pool or dance floor. Serene is available for charter and offers a multitude of fun activities.

The yacht features a "between-decks" slide, an exciting underwater observation room, and plenty of toys. After a day filled with action, relaxation and rejuvenation can be found in the wellness and beauty centre, complete with spa facilities and a soothing hammam.

Before retiring to their cabins, guests can catch a movie in the open-air cinema or enjoy music and conversations in the piano and bar room.

        View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by Fincantieri Yachts (@fincantieriyachts)

How did the yacht end up in the hands of the Middle Eastern royal family? Prince Salman was on vacation in southern France in early 2016 when he spotted the magnificent luxury yacht on the coast. Not only did the stunning yacht catch his eye, but MBS immediately sent an aide to purchase it from Russian tycoon Yuri Shefler. Within a few hours, the yacht with two helipads, a submarine, and a nightclub became the property of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud. He loves the yacht so much that he adorned one of the most expensive paintings in the world, Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mundi, purchased for $450 million in 2017 (which is more expensive than the yacht itself).

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LIFESTYLE – The Royal Saudi family visits Marbella in its two mega yachts

The royal saudi family visits marbella in its two mega yachts.

(SOURCE INFORMATION) The Real Saudí family is located in Marbella . His arrival, although it has been disguised, it is not possible to hide in the marina of Puerto Banús the two megayachts: ‘Shaf London’ and ‘Lady Haya’, which like other years have arrived after Ramadan.

On the dock of honor of this emblematic marina of Marbella, in front of the luxurious hotel of the uncle of the Syrian president, Bashar al Asad, highlights the ‘Shaf London’, a yacht of 53 meters in length, with 13 cabins, which King Salmán acquired in 1991 when he was already a regular on the Costa del Sol. There he arrived in the 70s with his brother the late King Fahd, both moved by the recommendations of the arms dealer of Turkish descent Adnan Khashoggi, whose father was a doctor of the Saudi royal family and uncle of Dodi Al-Fayed.

Next to this mega-yacht is another upper, the ‘Lady Haya’, with the flag of the Cayman Islands. It is a stunning 64-meter ship owned by the late King Fahd and currently owned by the Saudi royal family. This yacht can accommodate up to 20 guests, has a “beach club” at the stern of 100 square meters and a heliport; Six luxury suites for guests (the main suite measures 50 square meters), a kitchen of 50 square meters and the swing gate turns into a terrace on the sea. For some time now, the Saudi royal family no longer officially arrives in Marbella every summer because they prefer Tangier and their private beach in Jbila. This benefited the then President Felipe González, who sold them a 5,000 square meter plot in 2013. The Arabs expanded their summer complex. But the truth is that they’ve never strayed from Spain and continue to return to the Costa del Sol every summer, albeit much smaller than they did then.

Their purchases and expenses are known to the people of Marbella, and although they may seem like urban legends, they are not. Legends such as these have patisseries like Goyo, who are depleting their supplies when serving the palace of King Fahd, Mar-Mar. They have exhausted the lamb population in the city of Marbella, and every time they come they renew their fleet of luxury Mercedes models. His allegiance remains only in five-star hotels and his private parties at Olivia Valere’s nightclub are famous; and in the Nao Pool Club, the Valere’s son is managed on the site of the former home of the doctor of the Shah of Persia: Reza Phalavi. They have also managed to open El Corte Inglés in Puerto Banús exclusively for them. The widow of King Fahd, Jawhara al-Ibrahim, is a regular at the Marbella Golden Mile stores.

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The Saudi crown prince has reportedly detained 3 royal family members for unknown reasons. Meet 34-year-old Mohammed bin Salman, who's at the center of human rights issues and drops millions on yachts and mansions.

• Saudi Arabian crown prince Mohammed bin Salman has detained three members of the Saudi royal family for "unexplained reasons," The New York Times' David D. Kirkpatrick and Ben Hubbard reported on Friday.
• Prince Mohammed is the 34-year-old future king of Saudi Arabia.
• He controls part of the royal family's vast wealth, which is estimated at up to $1.4 trillion and includes Saudi Aramco , the most valuable company in the world .
• Prince Mohammed has spent his fortune on a $500 million yacht , a $300 million French chateau , and a $450 million Leonardo da Vinci painting.
• In 2018, bin Salman faced global outcry over the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi , who the CIA later concluded was assassinated on the prince's orders . 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories .

Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, the future king of Saudi Arabia, has detained three members of the Saudi royal family for "unexplained reasons," The New York Times' David D. Kirkpatrick and Ben Hubbard reported on Friday.

The crown prince, known as MBS, arrested senior royal Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, former crown prince Mohammed bin Nayef, and his younger brother, Prince Nawaf bin Nayef, a relative and a person close to the royal family told the Times.

The 34-year-old heir will ascend to the throne after the death of his father, 84-year-old King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. The crown prince has become a controversial global political figure, particularly so in the fall of 2018, when he faced global outcry over the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi , who the CIA later concluded was assassinated on the prince's orders . In January, he was accused of hacking the personal cell phone of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos , an allegation the  Saudi embassy called "absurd."

Prince Mohammed is known for his lavish spending. He has bought a $500 million yacht , a $300 million French chateau , and a $450 million Leonardo da Vinci painting. According to one estimate, the Saudi royal family — which has about 15,000 members — is worth up to $1.4 trillion .

The royal family's empire includes Saudi Aramco , the massive, state-owned oil company became  the most valuable company in the world when it went public in December 2019.

Here's a look at the lavish — and controversial — lifestyle of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Mohammed bin Salman is the 34-year-old crown prince of Saudi Arabia.

He was born to King Salman and his third wife, Fahda bint Falah, in 1985.

He was named crown price in June 2017 after his father, King Salman, decided to remove Muhammad bin Nayef from the position.

Rumors later emerged that Mohammed bin Salman had secretly plotted to oust bin Nayef and take his place, The New York Times reported.

The prince has a bachelor's degree in law from King Saud University, the oldest university in Saudi Arabia.

After graduating, he worked for several state agencies before being appointed as a special adviser to his father in 2009, who was serving as governor of Riyadh at the time.

In 2012, Prince Mohammed's father was named crown prince after the death of Nayef bin Abdul Aziz. Three years later, King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz died and the prince's father took the throne at the age of 79.

Prince Mohammed is not yet king, but he "essentially runs the country for his father," 84-year-old King Salman bin Abdulaziz, according to Bloomberg.

The prince is known to be a "workaholic" who spends 18 hours of the day in his office, according to The Guardian.

But he reportedly doesn't take criticism well.

"People who tried to say no even gently and diplomatically faced consequences," one source from Saudi Arabia told The Guardian.

The total wealth of the Saudi royal family is unknown, but it could be worth as much as $1.4 trillion, according to House of Saud, an English-language Saudi Royal Family news resource.

The royal wealth has been accumulated over decades of oil revenue-generated expansion.

There are about 15,000 members of the Saudi royal family, but the majority of the vast fortune is distributed among 2,000 of them , according to CNBC.

The British royal family, for comparison, is worth an estimated $88 billion .

The Saudi royal family's empire includes Saudi Aramco, the state-owned oil giant that reached a record-high valuation of $2 trillion after going public in December 2019.

That makes it the most valuable company in the world , outstripping the market capitalizations of the biggest US giants, including Microsoft , Apple, and Google's parent, Alphabet.

It's worth more than Berkshire Hathaway, Facebook, and Amazon combined. 

Saudi officials had been seeking a valuation of $2 trillion for the company, but most banks had pegged their initial estimates much lower, Bloomberg reported.

Aramco announced revenue of $68 billion in the first nine months of 2019, making it the most profitable company in the world.

Prince Mohammed and his father, King Salman, are often found in "a network of marble-columned palaces and countryside retreats" in Riyadh, according to The New York Times.

Foreign dignitaries and politicians are often hosted at the Al-Yamamah Palace.

During a visit from President Obama to the opulent Erga Palace, reporters spotted gold-plated Kleenex dispensers and gold chairs, according to CBS News.

The royal family is rumored to own several other lavish residences around the world , including in Switzerland, London, France, and Morocco .

Prince Mohammed is known for his extravagant purchases.

He's spent hundreds of millions on superyachts , private jets, helicopters, French chateaus, and rare paintings.

The crown prince reportedly owns a $500 million, 440-foot yacht named Serene, which includes multiple swimming pools and hot tubs, two helipads, a helicopter hangar, a gym, and a movie theater.

The yacht can sleep 24 guests in 15 cabins.

The prince reportedly bought the superyacht after spotting it while vacationing in the south of France.

In 2015, Prince Mohammed bought a chateau in France for $300 million, which was dubbed "the world's most expensive home" by Fortune at the time.

It wasn't until 2017 that news broke that it was the Saudi prince who had bought the Chateau  Louis XIV in Louveciennes, which is located west of Paris.

The 17th-century chateau reportedly includes fountains , a sound system, lights, and air conditioning that can all be controlled by an iPhone.

The lavish property also has a wine cellar, a movie theater, and a moat with a transparent underwater chamber.

The prince also picked up a Leonardo da Vinci painting for $450 million at a Christie's auction in 2017.

Prince Mohammed made the winning bid on da Vinci's "Salvator Mundi" anonymously by phone.

The painting had been estimated to sell for around $100 million leading into the auction.

Prince Mohammed has been in the news in recent years for a variety of scandals.

Saudi Arabia has faced criticism for human rights abuses and repressive laws, such as the one that says all Saudi women must have a male guardian.

In February 2019, INSIDER published an investigation detailing how a Saudi app called Absher allows men in Saudi Arabia to track and control where women travel. The reporting prompted Apple CEO Tim Cook to launch an investigation into the app, which is sold on the App Store.

In the fall of 2017, the crown prince was reportedly behind a corruption crackdown that saw more than 200 people arrested and some detained for weeks in a Ritz-Carlton hotel. Saudi Arabia reportedly use coercion and physical abuse during the interrogations.

And according to Al Jazeera , the number of executions in Saudi Arabia has been on the rise: 133 people were executed in the first eight months after MBS became crown prince.

In the fall of 2018, the crown prince faced global outcry over the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi embassy in Istanbul.

In November 2018, the CIA concluded the journalist was assassinated on the prince's orders .

Saudi Arabia has repeatedly  denied that the crown prince had any role in Khashoggi's death.

The Saudis denied for weeks that Khashoggi had been killed and repeatedly changed their story. The kingdom later announced that 18 people had been arrested in connection with the killing and said in January 2019 that prosecutors would be seeking the death penalty for five suspects.

While many world leaders have publicly condemned Prince Mohammed after Khashoggi's death, President Trump has said we may never know if Prince Mohammed ordered the killing of the journalist or not.

After the CIA concluded that MBS ordered the killing of Khashoggi, Trump expressed support for MBS, Al Jazeera reported in December 2018 .

As Business Insider previously reported , Trump has had deep business ties with the Saudi Arabian court for more than two decades.

And Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law, has reportedly pushed for closer ties with Saudi Arabia and particularly with Prince Mohammed.

Kushner and the crown prince have had a close relationship for more than 2 years, Business Insider's Ellen Cranley reported.

At the G20 Summit in Argentina in December 2018, Russian President Vladimir Putin was seen enthusiastically greeting the Saudi prince.

Putin's enthusiastic greeting of the Saudi prince at G20 came right after other world leaders had condemned Saudi Arabia for the killing of Khashoggi.

Other world leaders appeared to ignore the crown prince in a group photo at the summit.

Beyond politics, the prince has ties to top US technology companies and has toured some of Silicon Valley's top firms, including Google and Apple.

In the spring of 2018, Prince Mohammed met with Apple CEO Tim Cook , Google CEO Sundar Pichai, and Google cofounders Larry Page and Sergey Brin.

His west coast tour also included a stop in Seattle to meet with Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.

Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund owns 5% of Uber, according to the ride-sharing company's most recent S-1 filing. The fund is also a top investor in Softbank's massive Vision Fund, which owns 16% of Uber as well as sizable stakes in companies like Slack, WeWork, and DoorDash.

In January 2020, the United Nations said it had received credible information that Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos had his phone hacked by Prince Mohammed.

The UN called for an "immediate investigation by US and other relevant authorities" into the matter of Bezos reporting his phone being hacked.

According to the UN report, Bezos gave Prince Mohammed his personal phone number after the two attended a small dinner together in Los Angeles in April 2018. A month later, the crown prince allegedly sent a malicious file to Bezos' phone that stole data from the device.

The Saudi government has denied the allegations , calling them "absurd."

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Prince Abdulaziz is Royal super yacht

Prince Abdulaziz is one of the royal luxury yachts of the Saudi royal family and is among the largest motor yachts in the world.

A royal yacht is a ship used by a monarch or a royal family. If the monarch is an emperor the proper term is imperial yacht. Most of them are financed by the government of the country of which the monarch is head. The royal yacht is most often manned by personnel from the navy and used by the monarch and his/her family on both private and official travels.

The Abdulaziz Mega yacht was built in Denmark by Helsingor Vaerft in 1984. She was ordered by King Fahd. Who named her after his son Prince Abdul Aziz. For many years Prince Abdulaziz was the world’s largest yacht.

With a length of 147 metres (482 ft 3 in) at delivery, the yacht was the longest and tallest in the world. It retained this status for 22 years when it was overtaken by Dubai in 2006.

Prince Abdulaziz Interior

Designed by Maierform but the interior designer was David Nightingale.In 2007 she was refitted with a new interior installed.

See some rare interior photos of the yacht Abdulaziz hereunder.The yacht’s home port is Jedday. And she is often in Spain. She used to visit the Cannes area frequently. As the Royal Family owns a summer palace near Cannes. She sometimes visits Ibiza.

Specifications

Prince Abdulaziz is powered by two 12-cylinder Pielstick engines. Which bring her a top speed of 22 knots. Her cruise speed is 18 knots. She is said to accommodate 64 guests and a crew of 65.

Prince Abdulaziz Yacht Charter

The boat is not available for yacht charter. And she is not listed for sale.

Prince Abdulaziz Yacht

Boat Name: Prince Abdulaziz Yacht Length: 147 m (482 ft) Guests: 64 in 32 cabins Crew: 65 in 30 cabins Builder: Helsingor Vaerft Designer: Maierform Maritime Technology GmbH Year: 1984 Speed: 22 knots Engines: Pielstick Displacement: 4,620 ton IMO: 1003308 Prince Abdulaziz Price: US$ 100 million

Prince Abdulaziz OWNER INFORMATION

Who is prince abdul aziz bin fahd.

He is the youngest son of the late King Fahd of Saudi Arabia. Prince was born in 1973. Also, he is married to Alanoud bin Faisal. They have one child.

Prince Abdul Aziz was first appointed as minister of state without portfolio in May 1998. Then, he was made head of the Office of the Council of Ministers in January 2000, when he was 28 years old. It was reported that after King Fahd’s death, he began to live in Switzerland and came to Saudi Arabia to participate in the meetings of the Council of Ministers.

On 26 June 2011, he was relieved from his position as head of the court of Cabinet affairs by a royal decree. It was declared that he resigned from his posts of minister of State and member of the Council of Ministers at his own request in June 2011.

Investments

He is an investor in the Middle East Broadcasting Company MBC. It is co-owned with his uncle Waleed bin Ibrahim al Ibrahim. And he was linked to the now defunct Saudi Oger Construction company.

The Prince owns many real estate investments. Worth more than US 5 billion.The Prince owns many palaces and houses around the world. His main residence is a large compound in Riyadh. He also owns palaces in Yeddah. A large mansion in London, a house in Switzerland and a house in California.

Prince Abdul Aziz bin Fahd Net Worth

His net worth is estimated at more than us 5 billion., private jet.

The Prince owns several private jets. Including a Boeing 777 and a Boeing 737 BBJ. The jet with registration VP-CEC is registered to Mid East Jet. And Mid East Jet is linked to Saudi Oger. And Prince Abdulaziz is / was a shareholder at Saudi Oger.

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Saudi prince Mohammed bin Salman 'buys £452m yacht' but slashes public spending

The royal has helped to implement economic reforms including slashing the state budget at a time of low oil prices, article bookmarked.

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A senior member of Saudi Arabia’s royal family bought a £452 million yacht before helping push through drastic austerity measures within the country.

Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman picked out a Russian tycoon’s 440ft ship while holidaying in the south of France, according to the New York Times .

Prince Mohammed has frozen government contracts and it emerged this month that the country's capital spending was dropping by 71 per cent in 2016.

The article claims Prince Mohammed dispatched an aid to buy Yuri Shefler’s vessel after spotting it floating off the coast.

The deal - reported at €500 million, £452 million by today’s exchange rate - was done within hours, according to an associate of Mr Shefler and a Saudi close to the royal family.

The Russian apparently moved off the yacht the same day.

Part of the reform measures that Prince Mohammed is responsible for includes

cutting ministers pay by 20 per cent .

Joseph Kechichian , a senior fellow at the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies in Riyadh, said: “I am persuaded as someone who focuses on this topic that the ruling family of Saudi Arabia above all else puts the interest of the family first and foremost.”

The Independent has contacted the House of Saud for comment.

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His vacation home is a $300 million French chateau, and his yacht has a $450 million Da Vinci painting – MBS, the 37-year-old Crown prince of Saudi Arabia leads a life so luxurious that no royalty or centibillionaire even comes close.

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