Long before Donald Trump entered politics, he made headlines for something very different: a floating palace that symbolized the peak of the 1980s.
The yacht was called Trump Princess, and at the time, it ranked among the largest and most expensive private yachts in the world according to USA Scoop.
Trump acquired the vessel in 1988, during the height of his real estate empire, when luxury assets often doubled as personal branding tools. The yacht instantly became a centerpiece of his image, bold, extravagant, and impossible to ignore.
A Yacht With a Bigger Past Than Its Name
Trump did not commission the yacht from scratch. He purchased it from Saudi businessman Adnan Khashoggi, who originally named the vessel Nabila.
Built in 1980 by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft in Germany, the yacht stretched over 280 feet (86 meters) and featured interiors that matched royal standards. Designers filled the ship with gold fixtures, marble finishes, and lavish guest spaces.
At the time, industry estimates placed the yacht’s original construction value near $100 million, a figure that still follows the vessel today and fuels headlines decades later.
Trump reportedly acquired the yacht for far less than its build cost, then renamed it Trump Princess, a move that aligned perfectly with his branding strategy of the era.
What Made Trump Princess So Notorious
Trump Princess didn’t just exist to cruise quietly.
The yacht hosted high-profile guests, anchored near major events, and appeared in media coverage that reinforced Trump’s image as a billionaire power broker. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the yacht symbolized a specific kind of American wealth, loud, visible, and unapologetic.
At the time, owning a yacht of this scale placed Trump among a very small global circle of ultra wealthy individuals.
Why Trump Let the Yacht Go
By the early 1990s, Trump was facing mounting financial pressure across his businesses, and the luxury assets had become liabilities.
In 1991, Trump sold Trump Princess as part of broader efforts to stabilize his finances. The yacht later passed through multiple owners and underwent name changes, eventually becoming known as Kingdom 5KR.
Despite its iconic status, the vessel did not survive the passage of time. After decades in service, the yacht was ultimately sold for scrap and dismantled in 2020, closing the chapter on one of the most famous private yachts ever owned by a future U.S. president.
