Kingdom 5KR
Encyclopedia
Al-Waleed bin Talal
Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal is a Saudi Arabian billionaire and member of the Saudi royal family. He is the nephew of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. An entrepreneur and international investor he has amassed a fortune through investments in real estate and the stock market.He is founder and CEO of...
.
Overview
The motor yacht was built in 1980 by the yacht builder BenettiBenetti
Benetti is an Italian shipbuilding and Boat building company based in Viareggio, Livorno and Fano, owned by Azimut.Benetti designs and constructs motoryachts, and is one of the leading builders of custom superyachts, having won the Showboats International magazine "shipyard number 1" award six...
at a cost $100 million (This is equivalent to $ in 2009) and designed by Jon Bannenberg
Jon Bannenberg
Jon Bannenberg was a yacht designerBorn in Australia, Bannenberg studied at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. In 1952 he moved to London and his career began to morph towards its final destination: from music to stage design to opening an interior design shop with his first wife and ultimately...
. Its initial interior was designed by Luigi Sturchio.
It was originally built as the Nabila for Saudi billionaire, Adnan Khashoggi
Adnan Khashoggi
Adnan Khashoggi is a Saudi Arabian arms-dealer and businessman. He is also noted for his engagements with high society in both the Occident and Arabic-speaking worlds, and for his involvement in the Iran–Contra and Lockheed bribery scandals, and numerous other affairs...
(named for his daughter). At the time of its construction it was one of the largest yachts in the world.
During its days as the Nabila it was featured in the James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
movie Never Say Never Again
Never Say Never Again
Never Say Never Again is a 1983 spy film based on the James Bond novel Thunderball, which was previously filmed in 1965 as Thunderball...
, in which it was seen as the Flying Saucer (translated from Italian Disco Volante
Disco Volante (ship)
The Disco Volante is a fictional ship in the James Bond novel Thunderball and its 1965 film adaptation of the same name. It was a hydrofoil craft owned by Emilio Largo, an agent of SPECTRE. It was purchased with SPECTRE funds for £200,000. The craft plays a pivotal role in the seizure and...
in the source novel, Thunderball), the villain's superyacht mobile HQ. It was also the inspiration for a track, "Khashoggi's Ship", on the 1989 album by rock band Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
, The Miracle.
After Khashoggi ran into financial problems, he sold the ship in 1988 to the Sultan of Brunei, who in turn sold it to Donald Trump
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump, Sr. is an American business magnate, television personality and author. He is the chairman and president of The Trump Organization and the founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts. Trump's extravagant lifestyle, outspoken manner and role on the NBC reality show The Apprentice have...
for $29 million. Trump renamed it the Trump Princess after retrofitting it.
When Trump ran into financial problems, he sold it to Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal
Al-Waleed bin Talal
Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal is a Saudi Arabian billionaire and member of the Saudi royal family. He is the nephew of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. An entrepreneur and international investor he has amassed a fortune through investments in real estate and the stock market.He is founder and CEO of...
for $40 million in 1991.
The yacht's latest name stems from the Prince's investment company, Kingdom Holding Company
Kingdom Holding Company
Kingdom Holding Company is a public holding company headquartered in Kingdom Centre in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and is the largest company in Saudi Arabia. It is controlled by Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz, and is headquartered in the city of Riyadh...
, his lucky number (5), and his children's initials ('K' and 'R').
The ship has a beam
Beam (nautical)
The beam of a ship is its width at the widest point. Generally speaking, the wider the beam of a ship , the more initial stability it has, at expense of reserve stability in the event of a capsize, where more energy is required to right the vessel from its inverted position...
of 13.25 metres (43.5 ft), a draught
Draft (hull)
The draft of a ship's hull is the vertical distance between the waterline and the bottom of the hull , with the thickness of the hull included; in the case of not being included the draft outline would be obtained...
of 4.72 metres (15.5 ft) and fuel capacity of 515,000 litres (136,000 gallons).
When it was delivered it had five decks, a disco, a cinema with seats for 12 and 2 double beds, 11 opulent suites, a helipad on top (its smoke stacks are sloped outward to avoid interference with the helicopters), a pool with a water jet on top in front of the heliport, 2 Riva tenders
Luxury yacht tender
A luxury yacht tender is a transport used to service and to provide support and entertainment to a private or charter luxury yacht. Known commonly as the 'yacht's tender' a luxury yacht tender will often be a rigid-hulled inflatable boat which features cushioned inflatable rubber inner tubes...
, a crew of 48, a top speed of 20 knots, and cruising speed of 17.5 knots.