It has been nearly 25 years since the passing of Lady Diana, but everyone remembers her for her rebellion in the face of the Royal Family. The admiration for her is so powerful that anything that had to do with her has become a piece of history. And this is the case of the “Sokar”, the yacht which was home to Lady Diana and her partner Dodi Al-Fayed during their last summer in 1997. Now this iconic vessel is on the market for over 10 million pounds.

Previously known as Jonikal, the 64-metre long boat was sold by the billionaire telecommunications magnate, Hassim Haidar just one year after it was purchased. Haidar wants to now purchase a larger yacht for his wife and children. For this reason, he decided to give up the former Jonikal, renamed Sokar, taken from the name of the falcon god of Egyptian mythology.

THE SOKAR AT THE TIME OF LADY D AND DODI

In the summer of 1997 Diana, recently divorced from Prince Charles and increasingly upset after her relationship with the Pakistani surgeon, Hasnat Khan, decided to rebel one more time. In August she left with the producer, Dodi Al-Fayed for a cruise on the Jonikal. It is said that Al-Fayed’s family had purchased the yacht for 30 million pounds so as to impress Diana Spencer.

There is no point in saying that photos of the two on board were shared around the world and the Jonikal became the centre of the scandal. That holiday in the Mediterranean lasted a few days: from Sardinia to Greece and then the south of France. Unfortunately Diana and Dodi’s love story came to a dramatic end after the accident on 31 August 1997 in Paris, where they were both killed.

After this tragic event, the boat stayed on the market for a number of years before anybody bought it. Possibly due to the fear of tarnishing the memory of Diana who became even more of an icon after her mysterious death. In 2014 an anonymous buyer purchased the yacht for around 12 million dollars, and in 2021 it was passed into the hands of Hassim Haidar. In this period, the Sokar started sailing around the world, stopping in some of the most enchanting places in Liguria.

THE YACHT WITH ITALIAN STYLE

At the end of 1980 the naval architect, Vincenzo Ruggiero designed the boat and in 1990 the Italian shipyard Codecasa decided to build it. Refitted in 2020, this yacht is 64 metres long and has a beam of around 11 metres. It has two Wartsila engines of 2,814 HP each. It can accommodate up to 22 passengers in 9 cabins and has quarters for 26 crew members.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS “SOKAR”

Length: 63.47 metres

Width: 10.4 metres

Weight: 937 gross tonnes

Year Built: 1990

Refitting: 2020

Engines: 2 x  2,800 kW

Speed: 20 knots

Cabins: 9

Passengers: 22