Once the "floating home" of Aristotle Onassis, the Christina hosted dignitaries and Hollywood stars such as Marilyn Monroe Egypt's King Farouk, Frank Sinatra, John D. Rockefeller, Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, J. Paul Getty, John Wayne, opera diva Maria Callas and numerous others. John F. Kennedy first met Sir Winston Churchill aboard the yacht and two of the century's most celebrated wedding receptions were held on her decks: Prince Rainier to Grace Kelly and Onassis himself to former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy.
Onassis purchased the vessel in 1954 and spent over $4 million to convert her into the most modern and opulent yacht the world had ever seen. Three years after Onassis' death in 1975, his daughter Christina donated the yacht to the Greek government to be used by the President to entertain visiting heads of state, where she remained until Tauck purchased her, resold her and arranged for her restoration.
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