sail away

The luxury yacht Princess Diana frolicked on prior to her death can be yours this summer

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Princess Diana on the Jonikal yacht in 1997

Weeks before her tragic death, Princess Diana was enjoying an epic summer as she basked in the sun on holiday in the Mediterranean.

After finalizing her divorce from Prince Charles in 1996, the public’s fascination with all things Diana continued as she appeared to have a new lease on life and looked happier than she had in years.

In July 1997, photos of the Princess with her two young sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, frolicking on a superyacht belonging to Egyptian businessman Mohamed Al-Fayed raised eyebrows as to the nature of the relationship.

A month later, new paparazzi shots showed Diana once again hanging out on the yacht, but this time with Al-Fayed’s handsome son, Dodi. The couple’s romantic relationship was soon revealed and days later both were killed when their vehicle crashed in a Paris tunnel on August 31, 1997.

Now that yacht, previously called the Jonikal, has been completely renovated and is being offered up to rent for a hefty price this summer.

The 209-foot luxury vessel, renamed Bash, has undergone a major revamp after suffering a bridge fire and has been retrofitted with all new wiring, plumbing and air conditioning, according to the Robb Report.

The cosmetic updates include a total remodel of the 9 suites comprising of three double cabins, four twin cabins and two single cabins. Other lavish extras include a beauty salon, massage room, and a modern gym.

There’s also plenty of outdoor living to be had as the vessel features a Jacuzzi, swim deck, multiple al-fresco spaces, and a helipad. In total, it sleeps 12 and is available to charter to cruise the Mediterranean for a whopping $278,000 per week. But if you split it evenly with your squad, it comes to just $23,166.66 each!

The yacht formerly known as Jonikal has been in the zeitgeist as of late thanks to SZA’s blockbuster album SOS.

The record’s cover art features the singer sitting on the edge of a diving board out at sea and was inspired by an infamous image of Diana doing the exact same thing off of the Jonikal.

Last year, SZA confirmed the reference and divulged how the imagery inspired her artistic vision.

“Originally I was supposed to be on top of, like, a shipping barge,” the “Kill Bill” singer said in an interview with New York City radio station Hot97. “But in the references that I pulled for that, I pulled the Diana reference because I just loved how isolated she felt and that was what I wanted to convey the most.”

So, now all you need is $280K and you too can be like Diana and SZA for the delight of your followers on the Gram.

In 2021, Mohamed Al-Fayed made headlines by revealing why he thinks Dodi and Diana’s death was not an accident.

Watch the 60 Minutes Australia interview below:

Related:

Prince Harry & Prince William can’t even agree on their opinion about “paranoid” Princess Diana

Prince Harry’s phone hacking lawsuit is bringing up even more royal family drama.

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