Prince Philip’s motorboat up for auction
HRH Prince Philip’s motorboat, a 1956 Albatross MkIII Super Sports Runabout, will go up for auction in April through Bonhams.
First owned by HRH the late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, the 1956 Albatross MkIII Super Sports Runabout is one of only 607 of its type produced and will go up for sale on 10 April 2022 at the Goodwood Members’ Meeting.
The listing says the sportsboat was carried aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia and is in original and unrestored condition with a guide price of between £20,000 and £40,000.
According to Bonhams, in 1967 it was moved to the Balmoral Estate where reputedly it was later driven by the late Princess Diana. In 1957 it was famously photographed at Cowes with the eight-year-old Prince Charles seated in the passenger seat, and this image was used 64 years later in the ‘thank you’ card issued by the Prince in response to the countless messages of sympathy received following his father’s death in 2021.
The Albatross was decommissioned in 1987 and retains its original Ford 100E engine, says Bonhams. On file are copies of correspondence from both Albatross Marine and Buckingham Palace.
Albatross Marine was founded in 1949 by Archie Peace, an aircraft engineer formerly with the Bristol Aeroplane Company, at Great Yarmouth, Norfolk where he was soon joined by business partners Peter Hives and Bruce Campbell.
Introduced in May 1956, the MkIII model retained the MkII’s riveted aluminium, stepless planing hull with only minor changes but was fitted with an improved and more powerful version of the ubiquitous Ford sidevalve engine.
The Albatross attracted a distinguished clientele – HRH Prince Phillip owned two at different times, Brigitte Bardot was photographed in an Albatross at St Tropez, Aristotle Onassis owned an Albatross; Prince Rainier of Monaco had six at one time; Thai racing driver Prince Bira owned another; and Lord and Lady Docker kept one (for water skiing) aboard their classic superyacht, Shemara.
All images courtest of Bonhams.
