Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his fiancée, Lauren Sanchez, were spotted having lunch on Monday on the deck of his new $500 million superyacht in Portofino, Italy.
The newly engaged couple, accompanied by their children, arrived in style as they landed by helicopter on the Koru, the second largest sailing ship in the world.
Sanchez, 53, was dressed to impress in a form-fitting black racerback dress with a thigh-high slit down each leg.
She completed her Italian vacation look with a pair of black platform sandals and what looked like a red Hermes Kelly bag.
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez were spotted on their new superyacht by helicopter in Portofino, Italy, on Monday
Sanchez, 53, was dressed to impress in a form-fitting black racerback dress with a thigh-high slit on each leg
The hem of the former newscaster’s dress blew through the window as she boarded the yacht
The newly engaged couple were seen cuddling after they boarded the ship
The former news anchor wore her raven-black hair around her shoulders and her long locks — along with the hem of her dress — fluttered in the wind as she stepped off the helicopter and boarded her husband-to-be’s yacht.
Meanwhile, Bezos, 59, was dressed casually in a dark T-shirt and jeans.
The lovebirds were seen cuddling aboard the yacht before sitting down for an intimate family lunch on the ship’s deck, which was covered to protect them from the scorching midday sun.
All three of Sanchez’s children appeared to be with them.
The founder of Black Ops Aviation shares a 22-year-old son, Nikko Gonzales, with her former NFL star ex Tony Gonzales.
She also has two younger children with her ex-husband, Patrick Whitesell, a son, Evan Whitesell, 17, and a daughter, Eleanor Whitesell, 15.
When Sanchez and Bezos tie the knot, she becomes a stepmother to his four children, whom he shares with his ex-wife, MacKenzie Scott.
It’s unclear exactly when the couple first got together, but their affair was revealed by the National Enquirer in January 2019.
The couple appeared to be accompanied by Sanchez’s three children when they arrived
At 125 meters in length and 70 meters in height, the Koru is one of the world’s largest sailing yachts, complete with a 250-foot support vessel with its own helipad
Koru operates a smaller 250 foot support vessel equipped with a helipad
Bezos may be paying tribute to Sanchez with the yacht, which features a wooden sculpture of a Roman goddess carved into the bow of the ship, strikingly resembling his bride-to-be
Soon after, the entrepreneur and investor divorced Scott, his wife of over 25 years. After their divorce, Scott became one of the richest women in the world, with a four percent stake in Amazon.
Sanchez was married to Whitesell when her relationship with Bezos came to light. Her then-husband was reportedly the one who introduced her to Bezos in the first place.
A powerful man in his own right, Whitesell is the executive chairman of Endeavor, the parent company of talent agency William Morris Endeavor Entertainment (WME).
Bezos and Scott finalized their divorce in April 2019 – the same month Sanchez and Whitesell ended their marriage.
The pair made their first public appearance together in May 2019, before heading to St. Barts for the holidays.
As the third richest man in the world, Bezos is no stranger to taking his sweetheart on lavish vacations, but this is likely to be a summer for the books.
The Amazon boss popped the question to the Emmy Award-winning journalist aboard his new superyacht last month, sources told DailyMail.com.
The couple were seen kissing and cuddling aboard the Koru as Sanchez wore a huge gem on her ring finger — sparkling proof that she said, “Yes.”
At the time, they were off the coast of Cannes, enjoying a Mediterranean odyssey and the inaugural voyage of Bezos’ superyacht.
Sanchez, who is a helicopter pilot himself, was the first to get out of the helicopter
Sanchez looked back at Bezos as he followed her out of the helicopter
Then they walked down the steps of the helipad together
A speedboat was waiting on the water to take them to the superyacht
At 125 meters in length and 70 meters in height, the Koru is one of the world’s largest sailing yachts, complete with a 250-foot support craft with its own helipad.
The pair flew into Europe on a private jet and were first seen on the deck of the floating mansion on May 18.
Their journey on the yacht, which is named the Koru after the Maori word for “new beginning,” comes more than five years after it was commissioned.
The ship, then known as ‘Project 721’, was built in the historic port of Zwijndrecht, close to Rotterdam in the Netherlands, by sailboat specialist Oceanco.
Past designs include the 350-foot Black Pearl, an all-black aluminum sailing yacht designed for Russian billionaire Oleg Burlakov, who died of Covid in 2021 and whose family still owns the vessel.
The Koru is the second largest sailing ship in the world, surpassed only by the Philippe Starcke-designed sailing yacht A, owned by Russian fertilizer billionaire Andrey Melnichenko.
Bezos may be paying homage to Sanchez with the mega yacht, featuring a wooden sculpture of a Roman goddess carved into the ship’s prow, strikingly resembling his bride-to-be.
It’s unclear when the gold-polished statue became part of the ship’s design, but it was commissioned in 2018, a year before their affair came to light.
Bezo and Sanchez huddled together as they were driven to the yacht
Sanchez was holding her designer bag as she stepped off the speedboat
The yacht was finally handed over to Bezos in April after undergoing sea trials in February.
Last year, even before the Koru was launched, the sheer size of her masts sparked international controversy when Rotterdam announced that the center section of the 100-year-old Koningshaven Bridge would be removed to allow the superyacht to sail north. Sea.
Reports say Bezos had said he would pay to have the bridge dismantled and rebuilt, but his request was denied.
Local residents launched a petition to pelt the boat with rotten eggs on its maiden voyage, which garnered thousands of signatures.
Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb of Rotterdam said in response to the comments that no permit had been applied for and that the masts were eventually attached downstream in the Port of Rotterdam.
The three-masted schooner was finally delivered at the end of April and sailed from the Netherlands to Mallorca via Gibraltar.
Along with a private submarine, Koru sails a smaller 250-foot support vessel equipped with a helipad and filled with a collection of speedboats and supercars for Bezos and Sanchez to enjoy.
The main ship, painted midnight blue with gold accents, features three decks, a swimming pool and a huge sundeck.
The interior is reportedly inspired by Eos, a 305-foot yacht owned by former Fox CEO Barry Diller that costs $25 million a year to maintain.