Thailand’s Playboy King isolates in German luxury hotel with harem of 20 women

Thailand’s playboy King Maha Vajiralongkorn has booked an entire luxury German hotel to isolate from the coronavirus, far from home, along with a harem of 20 women, according to German media.

The 67-year-old King, known as Rama X, is said to have booked the entire Grand Hotel Sonnenbichl in the Alpine resort town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen with “special permission”.

The Grand Hotel Sonnenbichl gained special permission to host the King and his entourage – a harem of 20 concubines and a team of servants. His visit made local news because hotels in the region have been forced to close to stop the spread of the deadly coronavirus. However, as the royal party is deemed to be a ‘homogenous group that does not change composition’, the hotel could be reclassified as a residential home, and therefore received special permission to receive guests during the lockdown for the duration of his stay.

The King’s latest extravagance, however, has sparked huge outrage in Thailand. The hashtag “Why do we need a king?” appeared over 1.2 million times on Twitter within 24 hours of news of his German trip first breaking. According to Thai media, the King has not made a public appearance in Thailand since February, despite the country’s rising coronavirus cases and deaths.

Vajiralongkorn became monarch after his father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, died back in October 2016 after some 70 years on the throne.