Lauren Sanchez has clarified whether she’s the figurehead on fiancé Jeff Bezos’ yacht, Koru.
The former news reporter, 53, addressed the suggestion that she was featured on the yacht during an interview with Vogue, published on 13 November. Her comments came months after her and Bezos’ summer trip through Europe on the boat, which features a wooden sculpture at the prow that depicted a woman carved in the style of a Roman goddess. The carving was also complete with long hair and a flowing gown.
During the interview with Vogue, Sanchez was asked about her apparent resemblance to the sculpture, after the press suggested that it was a carving of her. However, according to Sanchez, that speculation is not true.
“I’m very flattered, but it’s not,” she said, before adding that the figurehead was one of Bezos’ favourite mythological figures, Freyja, the goddess associated with love, sex, war, and gold.
She also poked fun at what the statue would look like “if it was” her, as she jokingly made the gesture of having larger breasts.
In May 2023, Sanchez and Bezos were photographed aboard the 417-foot-long vessel as it set sail along the coast of Spain. The couple’s voyage came nearly five years after the vessel was first commissioned in 2018 for half a billion dollars. The yacht – named the Koru after the Maori word for “new beginnings” – comes complete with three decks and a pool.
According to Boat International, Koru, previously known as Y721, is the tallest sailing yacht in the world with three masts measuring more than 230 feet. Although the super yacht didn’t come with a helipad, Bezos reportedly purchased a support yacht, worth $75m, specifically to land his helicopter.
The yacht reportedly costs $25m a year to maintain, and guests are able to arrive on it using an array of transportation modes, including helicopters, a fleet of cars, jet skis, and smaller speedboats.
During their trip on Koru over the summer, Bezos also asked Sanchez to marry him after five years of dating. Speaking to Vogue, the former TV host recalled how her partner popped the question in May, noting that he hid the ring under her pillow after dinner one night. She then shared her reaction to the proposal, recalling: “When he opened the box, I think I blacked out a bit.”
In August, the pair went on to have a star-studded engagement party on the super yacht, with the guest list including Leonardo DiCaprio, Bill Gates, and Queen Rania. At the time, People reported that the celebration took place on the Amalfi Coast, Italy.
Following their engagement, Sanchez has acknowledged that she and her fiancé haven’t made any official wedding plans yet. “We’re still thinking about the wedding,” she told Vogue. “What it’s going to be. Is it going to be big? Is it going to be overseas? We don’t know yet. We’ve only been engaged for five months!”
However, she didn’t hesitate to confirm that, once she gets married, she’ll be taking her husband’s last name. “Uh, yes, one hundred per cent,” she said. “I am looking forward to being Mrs Bezos.”
The reporter also went on to open up about her dynamic with the billionaire, who is one of the richest men in the world. According to Forbes, Bezos has a net worth of $165.7bn.
“I think there are a lot of opportunities that come with that, and I take those opportunities very seriously,” she explained. “We always look at each other and go: ‘We’re the team.’ So everything’s shared.”
