3 ROYAL RUNABOUT AUCTION RECORD
A rather special classic 1956 Albatross MKIII Super Sport was sold for a record price during Bonhams’ recent Goodwood Members’ Meeting auction. While this modest Britishbuilt sportsboat was offered for sale in original unrestored condition, its provenance was impeccable – its first owner was none other than Prince Philip, the late Duke of Edinburgh.
In its heyday it spent more than ten years as the Duke’s personal tender aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia. Beken of Cowes famously photographed it being driven by Prince Philip with an eight-year-old Prince Charles by his side. The Prince of Wales subsequently chose the image for the thank-you cards he sent in response to letters of sympathy following his father’s death last year.
This Albatross was the second of two owned by the Duke, who took delivery of her following the return of his first MKI. It was later moved to the Balmoral Estate in Scotland, where rumour has it it was also driven by Princess Diana. It was finally decommissioned there in 1987.
The final hammer price for this outwardly unprepossessing vessel was £69,000 including the buyer’s premium, around double Bonhams’ presale estimate and as much as 14 times more than other examples in similar condition have fetched without the royal patronage and associated glamour.
Designed by aircraft engineer Archie Pearce and built by Albatross Marine in St Olaves,
Great Yarmouth, this all-aluminium pop-riveted three-seater model has a lightweight stepless hull and was propelled by a straight shaft and single screw hooked up to a marinised 1,172cc Ford 100E petrol engine, the same side-valve block used in the Ford Anglia of the day. With a top speed of around 34mph, they were popular for waterskiing and racing. In all, 607 Albatrosses of various iterations were built.