Princess Diana
Her love yacht “Cujo” sunk in France
Spent shortly before her death Princess Diana spent her love summer in 1997 on board the “Cujo”.
© imago images/Everett Collection
Princess Diana spent happy hours with her lover Dodi Al-Fayed on the “Cujo” in the summer of 1997. Now the yacht has sunk.
The famous yacht “Cujo” sank. As the “Daily Mail” reports, the boat on which Princess Diana (1961-1997) and Dodi Al-Fayed (1955-1997) spent their last summer vacation sank off the southern French coast near Nice at the end of July. Images of the “Cujo” made headlines around the world in the summer of 1997 after Princess Diana was snapped by paparazzi aboard her then-lover’s yacht. Just weeks later, on August 31, 1997, they both tragically died in an accident in Paris.
The photos of Diana strolling along the railing in a black tank top and white shorts are still present: the symbol of a woman who has escaped the golden cage and is living her newfound freedom.
Collision with unknown object at sea
Now the “Cujo” lies about 29 kilometers off the coast near Nice on the seabed. As has only just become known, the “Cujo”, last owned by an Italian owner, collided with an unidentified object on the high seas on July 29. The skipper sent out a “Mayday” call for help and tried to pump out the water that had gotten in – but too late. The seven-man crew of the yacht could be rescued by the coast guard. After that, the famous boat sank to the bottom of the sea, where it lies at a depth of around 2,500 meters.
Hollywood greats were also on board
Dodi Al-Fayed, the former owner of the “Cujo”, had invested around a million pounds (about 1.16 million euros) in the 90s to bring the yacht into shape before he brought Diana on board to attract media attention. The yacht was built in 1972 for a successful American car dealer. In the 1980s it was taken over by the son of suspected arms dealer Adnan Kashoggi and later sold to his cousin, Diana’s lover Dodi Al-Fayed. Before Diana, Al-Fayed adorned himself with famous guests such as Brooke Shields, Clint Eastwood, Tony Curtis and Bruce Willis on board the “Cujo”. After Diana’s and Dodi’s death in 1997, the boat got into worse and worse condition. In 2020, the last owner bought the yacht in an auction and had it renovated. Until her sinking, she was considered to be well maintained and operational.