Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez take a helicopter to his superyacht in Portofino
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his fiancée, Lauren Sanchez, were spotted enjoying lunch on the deck of his new $500 million superyacht in Portofino, Italy, on Monday.
The newly engaged couple, who were joined by her children, arrived in style as they landed by helicopter on the Koru’s $75 million support vessel, which has been kitted out with a helipad.
Sanchez, 53, was dressed to impress in a figure-hugging black racerback dress featuring a thigh-high slit on each leg.
She topped off her Italian vacation look with a pair of black platform wedge sandals and what looked to be a red Hermès Kelly bag.
The starting cost of a Kelly is around $10,000, but the highly-coveted handbags can sell for $100,000 or more depending on the style.
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez were spotted taking a helicopter to his new superyacht in Portofino, Italy, on Monday
Sanchez, 53, was dressed to impress in a figure-hugging black racerback dress featuring a thigh-high slit on each leg
The hem of the former news anchor’s frock blew in the window as she boarded the yacht
The newly engaged couple was seen hugging after they stepped on board the vessel
The former news anchor wore her raven hair around her shoulders, and her long locks — along with the hem of her dress — blew in the wind as she stepped off the helicopter and onboard her husband-to-be’s yacht.
Meanwhile, Bezos, 59, was dressed casually in a dark T-shirt and jeans.
The lovebirds were seen hugging on board the yacht before sitting down to an intimate family lunch on the ship’s deck, which was covered to shield them from the blazing afternoon sun.
All three of Sanchez’s children appeared to be with them.
The Black Ops Aviation founder shares a 22-year-old son, Nikko Gonzales, with her former NFL star ex Tony Gonzales.
She also has two younger children with her ex-husband, Patrick Whitesell, a son, Evan Whitesell, 17, and a daughter, Eleanor Whitesell, 15.
When Sanchez and Bezos tie the knot, she will become a stepmother to his four children, whom he shares with his ex-wife, MacKenzie Scott.
It’s unclear when exactly the couple first got together, but their affair was exposed by the National Enquirer in January 2019.
The couple appeared to be joined by Sanchez’s three children when they arrived
At 417 feet long and 230 feet tall, the Koru is one of the world’s largest sailing yachts complete with a $75 million support vessel (pictured)
The 250-foot floating garage has been kitted out with a helipad
Bezos may be paying homage to Sanchez with the yacht, which features a wooden sculpture of a Roman goddess carved into the ship’s bow that looks strikingly similar to his bride-to-be
Soon after, the entrepreneur and investor split from Scott, his wife of over 25 years. Following their divorce, Scott became one of the richest women in the world, with a four percent stake in Amazon.
Sanchez was married to Whitesell when her relationship with Bezos was outed. Her then-husband was reportedly the one who introduced her to Bezos in the first place.
Whitesell, a powerful man in his own right, is the executive chairman of Endeavor, the parent company of talent agency William Morris Endeavor Entertainment (WME).
Bezos and Scott finalized their divorce in April 2019 — the same month that Sanchez and Whitesell ended their marriage.
The couple made their first public appearance together in May 2019, before jetting off to St. Barts for the holidays.
As the third richest man in the world, Bezos is no stranger to taking his ladylove on lavish vacations, but this will likely be a summer for the books.
The Amazon boss popped the question to the Emmy Award-winning journalist on board his new superyacht last month, sources told DailyMail.com
The couple was seen kissing and canoodling on board the Koru while Sanchez was wearing a massive gemstone on her ring finger — sparkling proof that she said, ‘Yes.’
At the time, they were off the coast of Cannes, where they were enjoying a Mediterranean odyssey and the inaugural voyage of Bezos’s superyacht.
Sanchez, who is a helicopter pilot herself, was the first to step out out of the chopper
Sanchez appeared to be smiling as she looked back at Bezos as he followed right behind her
Sanchez led the way as they walked down the support vessel’s steps
A speed boat was waiting on the water to take them to the superyacht
Bezos and Sanchez both wore sunglasses to shield their eyes from the afternoon sun
The couple is nearly a month into their summer vacation in Europe
At 417 feet long and 230 feet tall, the Koru is one of the world’s largest sailing yachts complete with a 250 foot support vessel that boasts its own helipad.
The pair flew into Europe by private jet and were first seen on the deck of the floating mansion on May 18.
Their trip on the yacht, which is named the Koru after the Maori word for ‘new beginnings,’ comes more than five years after it was commissioned.
Known then as ‘Project 721,’ the ship was built in the historic port of Zwijndrecht, close to Rotterham in the Netherlands, by sailboat specialists Oceanco.
Previous designs include the 350-foot Black Pearl, an all-black aluminum sailing yacht designed for Russian billionaire Oleg Burlakov, who died of Covid in 2021 and whose family still own the ship.
The Koru is the second largest sailing ship in the world, surpassed only by the Philippe Starcke designed Sailing Yacht A, which is owned by Russian fertilizer billionaire Andrey Melnichenko.
Bezos may be paying homage to Sanchez with the megayacht, which features a wooden sculpture of a Roman goddess carved into the ship’s bow that looks strikingly similar to his bride-to-be.
It is unclear when the gold burnished sculpture became part of the vessel’s design, but it was commissioned in 2018, a year before their affair was exposed.
The couple sat huddled close as they were escorted to the yacht by their staff
Sanchez held onto her designer bag as she stepped off the speedboat
A crew member helped her step on board the yacht as the wind blew up her dress
The world’s third richest man was dressed casually in a T-shirt and jeans
Bezos and Sanchez were seen chatting and hugging while on board his new yacht
The mother of three showed off her toned arms in her summer frock
The Koru is the second largest sailing ship in the world, surpassed only by the Philippe Starcke designed Sailing Yacht A
Bezos and Sanchez later had an intimate family lunch on the yacht
At one point, Sanchez was seen on her cellphone with dining with her fiancé and children
Their trip on the yacht, which is named the Koru after the Maori word for ‘new beginnings,’ comes more than five years after it was commissioned
The yacht was finally handed over to Bezos in April after undergoing sea trials in February.
Last year, before the Koru had even been launched, the vast size of her masts sparked an international controversy when Rotterdam announced that the middle section of the 100-year-old Koningshaven Bridge would be removed so the superyacht could make its way into the North Sea.
According to reports, Bezos had said he would pay to have the bridge dismantled and rebuilt again, but his request was refused.
Locals created a petition to pelt the boat with rotten eggs on its maiden voyage, which garnered thousands of signatures.
In response to the backlash, Rotterdam’s Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb said no permit had been applied for, and the masts were eventually attached downstream in Rotterdam harbor.
The three-masted schooner yacht was finally delivered at the end of April and was sailed from the Netherlands to Mallorca via Gibraltar.
Along with a private submarine, Koru sails with a smaller 250-foot support vessel that has been kitted out with a helipad and is stocked with a collection of speedboats and supercars for Bezos and Sanchez to enjoy.
The main ship, which is painted midnight blue and has gold accents, boasts three decks, a pool, and a huge sun terrace.
The interior is reportedly inspired by Eos, a 305-foot yacht owned by former Fox CEO Barry Diller that costs $25 million a year to maintain.