EXCLUSIVE Pictured: Luxury 80ft motor yacht ‘Cujo’ inside, used by Diana and Dodi on their last summer vacation before their tragic deaths – as the ship sinks in the French Riviera after ‘hitting an object’

A photo shows the interior of a luxury motor yacht that Princess Diana and her boyfriend Dodi Fayed enjoyed during their last summer holiday in the South of France, days before their deaths in August 1997.

Cujo, once a favorite of Hollywood superstars, disappeared beneath the waves of the Mediterranean Sea after hitting an unknown object about 18 miles from Beaulieu-sur-Mer, on the French Riviera, on Saturday.

Seven people on board were rescued after the accident, but the 80-foot boat ended up at a depth of nearly 8,200 feet (2,500 m), local police said.

“The Cujo’s skipper has issued a Mayday,” an officer said. His ship was sinking due to a leak. Lifeboats were sent from Antibes and after making sure everyone was safe, the gendarmes discovered a significant water leak off the starboard fore hull. Her owner had activated the pumps and kept the engines running, but that couldn’t stop the boat from sinking.’

Salvage launches also arrived but failed to save the boat.

Cujo, a yacht once owned by Princess Diana’s millionaire friend Dodi Fayed, sinks off the coast of Beaulieu-sur-Mer near Nice

Princess Diana on the deck of Cujo as it enters the port of St. Tropez in August 1997

The princess on Cujo, where she spent her last summer vacation before dying in a car accident in Paris

Diana with Dodi Fayed during their holiday in the Mediterranean off the South of France

The boat disappears beneath the waves before coming to rest 2,500 meters below the surface of the water

Millionaire Dodi Fayed reportedly spent £1 million to refit boat after buying it

Cujo disappeared under the waves of the Mediterranean on Saturday after hitting an unidentified object some 18 miles off the coast of Beaulieu-sur-Mer on the French Riviera.

All on board, including Cujo’s Italian owner, were placed in a lifeboat and returned to shore without injury.

Reports of Cujo — an Indian word meaning “unstoppable power” — dominated the media in August 1997, when it was owned by Diana’s boyfriend, Dodi Fayed.

The multi-millionaire film producer had spent some £1 million refurbishing the boat, and forced Diana on board while the world’s media watched.

Just days later, the couple were killed in a car accident in the center of Paris caused by their drunk driver.

That summer, Diana was also photographed on Sokar, the yacht then owned by Dodi’s father, retail billionaire Mohamed al-Fayed, formerly known as Jonikal.

The pair were seen kissing and embracing on deck less than a year after Diana and Prince Charles agreed their divorce.

Diana, Princess of Wales, right, and her companion Dodi Fayed, walk on a pontoon in the French Riviera resort town of St. Tropez after just disembarking from Cujo on August 22, 1997

Princess Diana on Jonikal, which was owned by Dodi’s father, Mohamed al-Fayed

The princess aboard Jonikal, which was later renamed Sokar

Diana, then 36, was spotted on deck enjoying the Mediterranean sun and her new romance.

A photo of the royal gaze in the distance from the yacht’s diving board was one of the last photos ever taken of Diana.

Cujo was built in Italy in 1972 for businessman John von Neumann after he told the Italian shipyard Baglietto that he wanted the world’s fastest motor yacht.

She was equipped with two 18-cylinder engines that gave her a top speed of 42 knots.

Van Neumann then sold the boat to the son of Adnan Khashoggi, the world’s richest arms dealer, and he resold it to his cousin Dodi Fayed.

Dodi Fayed and Diana are seen together aboard Dodi’s father’s yacht in St Tropez, less than a year after Diana and Prince Charles settled their divorce

The couple were transported in a speedboat in July 1997 in the waters off St Tropez

Cujo was often moored at St Tropez, the most famous celebrity hot spot on the Riviera, with guests such as Clint Eastwood, Tony Curtis and Bruce Willis aboard.

After the deaths of Princes Diana and Dodi, Cujo fell into disrepair.

It was decommissioned in 1999 and spent years in storage before being restored by new owners.

The boat was bought for a song in 2020 by luxury car dealer Simon Kidston. The Mail reported that he only paid £138,000

He claimed to have purchased the yacht by accident, he told the luxury magazine Robb report: ‘On the day of the auction I was stuck with customers, so I asked a colleague to take a look. I told him when it came cheap you bid on a little fun.

The boat was reportedly sold in 2020 to an Italian socialite who had fallen in love with it

Luxury car dealer Simon Kidston claims to have bought it at auction for just £138,000

Simon claimed to have bought the boat for fun, telling the Robb Report he was bidding ‘for a bit of fun’

The offer started at just 150,000 euros (£129,500). My colleague offered 160,000 euros.

The problem was that no one else was bidding. The hammer went down and I had bought a boat. The feeling was a mixture of excitement and fear.’

He told the magazine that he sold the historic boat to a young Italian socialist in time for his birthday.

‘A young member of a prominent Italian business family – he is 30 years old – had seen Cujo, fallen in love with her and asked if she was for sale. He took the delivery just in time for his birthday.’