Model of Saudi prince's superyacht sells for £30k

A model of a £55m yacht designed for a Saudi prince has sold for £30,200 at auction.

It was part of a sale of silverware, artwork and furnishings previously housed on Sarafsa, a six-deck, 269ft (82m) superyacht that was owned by Prince Fahad bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz al Saud.

The model, which once graced the vessel's main saloon, measures just over 4ft (1.2m) in length and was commissioned in 2008 when the yacht was built.

The lots, sold by Eddisons auctioneers of Scunthorpe, also included a pair of goblets believed to have belonged to the former king of France, Louis XVI.

The items became available after the yacht was sold in April 2023 to an undisclosed bidder. The asking price at the time of the sale was €65m (£55.4m), according to the broker Burgess.

Auctioneer Paul Cooper said the sale was one of the most unusual they had hosted.

"We don't get many superyachts in Scunthorpe - or their contents," he said.

"Everything has the name of an internationally famous jeweller, silversmith, porcelain manufacturer, glassmaker or artist attached," he added.

Mr Cooper said there had been a lot of interest in the model of the Sarafsa, along with a second smaller version made by the celebrity London jeweller Theo Fennell.

Bidding on the Louis XVI goblets also hit four figures weeks before the auction, he said.

The Sarafsa was built in 2008 and, at one point, was the largest motor yacht to be built in a British yard. It included accommodation for 14 people, quarters for 12 staff and cabins for a further 23 crew members.

It also featured a grand piano lounge, cinema, spa, swimming pool, gym, helipad, car garage and a saloon modelled on the "grandest hotels of Monaco".

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