The world-famous celebrity motor yacht that Princess Diana enjoyed during her last summer holiday in the South of France has sunk to the bottom of the sea.
Once a favorite of Hollywood superstars, Cujo disappeared beneath the waves of the Mediterranean Sea after hitting an unknown object off Beaulieu-sur-Mer, on the French Riviera, on Saturday.
Seven people on board were rescued after the accident, but the boat ended up at a depth of almost 2,500 meters, 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.
The yacht was once owned by Princess Diana’s millionaire boyfriend, Dodi Al-Fayed, and was once one of the fastest yachts in the world
Princess Diana (pictured) took her last summer vacation at the Cujo before tragically dying in Paris in 1997
Unfortunately, the legendary boat is now 2,500 meters under water, French police revealed
“Her owner had activated the pumps and kept the engines running, but that didn’t stop the boat from sinking.”
Salvage launches also arrived but failed to prevent the boat from sinking about 18 nautical miles from shore.
All on board, including the 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 Al-Fayed.
The multimillionaire film producer had spent some £1 million refurbishing the boat, and lured Diana aboard while the world’s media watched.
This was shortly before the pair were killed in a car crash in central Paris caused by their drunk driver.
Princess Diana was known for spending much of her life in the South of France
The Cujo sank about 18 nautical miles off the coast of Beaulieu-sur-Mer in the French Riviera
After Princess Diana and Dodi Al-Fayed died, the boat fell into disrepair before being bought and restored by its new owners
That summer, Diana was also photographed on Sokar, the yacht then owned by Al-Fayed’s father, retail billionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed.
The pair were seen kissing and embracing on deck less than a year after Diana and Prince Charles’ divorce was agreed.
Diana, then 36, was spotted on deck enjoying the Mediterranean sun and her new romance.
A photo of the former royal stare into 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 Al-Fayed.
The pair were spotted spending time together in the south of France less than a year after Diana and Prince Charles settled their divorce
The pair were photographed all summer in 1997, a year after Diana’s divorce from Prince Charles, which was finalized in August 1996 (pictured on a speedboat in St. Tropez in July 1997)
Cujo was often moored at St Tropez, the most famous celebrity hot spot on the Riviera, with celebrity guests such as Clint Eastwood, Tony Curtis and Bruce Willis aboard.
After the deaths of Princes Diana and Mr. Al-Fayed, Cujo fell into disrepair.
She was decommissioned in 1999 and spent many years in storage before being restored by new owners.
It was bought for pennies in 2020 by luxury car dealer Simon Kidston.
He claimed to have purchased the yacht by accident, he told 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 offer started at just 150,000 euros. 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 mix of excitement, tinged with fear.”