Scandal hunt Belgian King Albert finally sold | Abroad

The ship was bought by King Albert in 2009 in the middle of the economic crisis for an amount of 4.9 million euros. Just a month earlier, the then reigning monarch criticized the “materialistic society” on the national holiday.

But it didn’t stop there. It was revealed by Belgian media that the Alpa IV was registered as a military ship at the time of purchase, which meant that no tax had to be deducted. A request to pass on the costs for maintenance – an estimated 230,000 euros per year – and the fuel to the Belgian state was rejected by the government. But sailing under the flag of the Belgian navy, the state paid the mooring fees for ports in Mediterranean destinations.

The 27 meter long ship with four bedrooms and four bathrooms had been for sale for several years. But there was not much enthusiasm in the market for the Italian-built luxury yacht: after a few months, the initial asking price was reduced from 1.95 million euros to 1.7 million euros. According to Le Soir, a specialized yacht broker Côte d’Azur has sold the Alpa IV to a Turkish buyer for an undisclosed price.

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