A royal yacht belonging to Belgium’s former monarch, King Albert II and his wife, Queen Paola, is on the market. The couple has put the boat on sale for two million euros, according to Belgian media.
The Alpa IV has belonged to Albert and Paola for over 12 years. It has four bedrooms and has room for 12 guests. The couple bought the yacht in 2009 for over 4.6 million euros and used it on holidays in France with their children and grandchildren.
The Alpa IV is 28 metres long and can travel up to 55 kilometres per hour (or 31 knots), and is being sold by the French Oceandrive.
The Royal Palace has said they will not comment as this is a private matter.
Reportedly, King Albert, 87, wanted to sell the Alpha IV a few years ago but was unsuccessful. If the yacht sells this time, the royal couple will take a significant loss of around 2.6 million euros.
Many were not happy when the King and Queen bought the yacht in 2009 as Belgium was in the midst of an economic recession. At the time, they had a yacht, Quatuor, and said it would be sold to pay for the new boat. However, it took some time for it to sell.
King Albert was King of the Belgians from the death of his older brother, King Baudouin, in 1993 until his abdication in July 2013. Upon his abdication, Albert was succeeded by his eldest child, Philippe. The abdication and swearing-in ceremony took place on Belgium’s National Day, 21 July, in 2013.
