She is a 303-foot Feadship vessel called Royal Romance, and four years after being seized, she is finally heading to auction. In recent years, there has been nothing romantic, not even remotely so, about this $200 million superyacht owned by former Ukrainian politician Viktor Medvedchuk. Touted as one of the largest vessels Feadship had built at the time of her delivery in 2015, the yacht will soon be sold by Ukraine, according to the nation’s National Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA).
The journey of this opulent four-decker has been anything but smooth. Since she was first seized in 2022 from her sanctioned Russian owner, Royal Romance has drifted through delays, legal hurdles, and stalled auctions and ambitions. The auction block was readied for her in March 2024, but fate had other plans, and Ukrainian government officials announced they had lost the right to sell the ship. That seriously dimmed hopes that Royal Romance would become the first seized luxury asset sold to benefit Ukraine. But it seems the darkness may finally be lifting. The proceedings for the transaction will be decided by a judge, and according to ARMA, Royal Romance has completed a pre-trial investigation. The vessel has also been registered under the Ukrainian flag since 2024.
Royal Romance is a 2,900-gross-ton luxury vessel with accommodation for 14 guests and 22 crew. But her royalty does not come from sheer size and volume alone. It also comes from the splendid interiors by Seymour Diamond and the kind of features that make ordinary superyachts feel forgettable. There is a giant 12-meter pool with a waterfall spilling over the stern, a glass elevator, a private cinema, a beach club, spa, hammam, sauna, gym, beauty room, deck jacuzzi, owner’s study, dressing room, and a spacious tender garage. Her extravagance is hard to rival. Feadship, the Dutch yard behind greats like Breakthrough and Launchpad, pushed itself with this superyacht thanks to her exceptionally large internal volume and the biggest pool the builder had installed up to that point.
A decade later, the story has turned from romantic to troubled, at least until the sale takes place. The new owner will be taking home a true floating palace, but also one marked by legal turmoil and years spent sitting still instead of fully enjoying the many rooms and indulgences that make Royal Romance so extraordinary.
