In the United Kingdom, public debate is intensifying over Britain’s royal family and a summer holiday taken aboard a £30 million superyacht owned by billionaire arms deal broker and former Conservative Party donor Wafic Said.
Photographs emerged of Queen Camilla, 78, enjoying a Greek getaway on the Zenobia, a 57-metre vessel registered in Monaco and fitted with luxury cabins, a cinema-library, and an outdoor dining area. The Queen visited exclusive destinations, including Zea Marina in Athens.
“For many in Britain, the sight of the Queen on a yacht owned by someone so politically connected is deeply troubling. It’s not just about the trip itself — it’s about what it says regarding the company the royals choose to keep,” a well-placed royal source told The Kenya Times on condition of anonymity.
“The Palace are trying to contain the story as much as possible, fighting a potential fire as it were.”
Queen Camilla’s Yacht Trip Sparks Debate Over Political Neutrality
The yacht belongs to Said, 85, a Syrian-born businessman who brokered the multi-billion-pound Al-Yamamah arms deal between Saudi Arabia and the UK in the 1980s — Britain’s largest ever export agreement. The Serious Fraud Office investigated the deal before the probe was dropped in 2006.
While there is no suggestion Queen Camilla acted unlawfully, the trip has raised eyebrows because the monarchy is expected to remain politically neutral.
Said and his wife Rosemary have long-standing links to Britain’s Conservative Party, with Rosemary donating more than £2 million since 2015, according to UK electoral records.
Former UK Liberal Democrat minister Norman Baker, author of Royal Mint, told the Daily Mirror: “Members of the Royal Family really ought to consider the public perception of such episodes, whether they are on holiday or official business.
They are representing the country at all times and, let’s be honest, it’s not as if they are short of cash. This is not a good look for Camilla, especially when the relationships between the royals and their associates are rightly called into question.”
Said Responds to Criticism Over Queen Camilla’s Yacht Stay, Highlights Longstanding Ties
Said responded to the criticism in comments published by the Daily Mail, saying: “The Parker-Bowles family have been close friends of mine for over 40 years… It is natural for me to offer my boat to close friends when I am not using it. I was therefore pleased to offer it to the family and glad to learn she is enjoying time with her children and grandchildren.”
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He also defended his past role in the Al-Yamamah negotiations: “I remain proud to have been part of what [Margaret Thatcher] called her team ‘batting for Britain’ to secure this historic defence contract… I have never bought or sold so much as a penknife, and any claim otherwise would be false and damaging.”
The Said family’s connections to the Conservative Party go back decades. Wafic Said was a close friend of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and his wife continues to donate.
In 2020, Rosemary Said was among more than 40 donors who each paid £9,854 for a virtual table at a Conservative summer party attended by Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak.
These ties make the optics of the Queen’s trip politically sensitive. Britain’s royal family traditionally avoids actions that might imply political favouritism, as neutrality is considered essential to their constitutional role.
“The Palace knows this has the potential to become a major headache,” a source told The Kenya Times. “When questions about donor influence and royal impartiality collide, it’s a story that resonates far beyond the gossip pages.”
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The story has been further complicated by recent reports that the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children – Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7 – also holidayed on a superyacht in Greece this summer.
According to the Daily Mail, the family cruised around the Ionian Islands, visiting Kefalonia, Ithaca, and Zakynthos.
Local speculation suggested a tender boat was sent ashore to fetch a McDonald’s meal for Prince George, though this remains unconfirmed.
There is no direct evidence that the Wales family used the Zenobia, but the timing and location of their trip have prompted rumours in the UK media.
Buckingham Palace has declined to comment in detail, noting only that the Queen was on holiday. However, in the UK press, the combination of political donor ties, luxury travel, and ongoing economic pressures has sparked a flurry of questions about how and why the trip occurred.
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