30 Poodles, 250 servants, and a Hilton hotel for rent: Controversial Thai king returns to Germany

The king is traditionally considered a living deity in Thailand. Rama X succeeds his father, King Bhumibol, who died in October 2016 after 70 years on the throne. But mainly international observers and journalists are sounding the alarm: the new king will result in a lot of scandal and instability. The uproar that arose in March of last year – when the Corona crisis just broke out and all hotels in Germany were closed to tourists, except for the Thai king and his company – was a much-discussed expression of it.

German media wrote at the time that the hotel had obtained special permission from local authorities to house Rama X. He had retired to the four-star Grand Hotel Sonnenbichl, in the elegant winter sports resort of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, where the 1936 Winter Olympics were held. The luxury hotel was entirely at Vajiralongkorn’s disposal. Rama X was said to be an avid skater and cyclist, but the king seemed to spend most of his time with the women: he stayed there with about twenty mistresses, and even gathered them into a regiment. Women had to surround the king around the clock, voluntarily or not, and a “pleasure room” was also created, where the king could “relax” with all his ladies. They also made regular trips in the city, despite all the strict rules.

▶ See also: This is how the Thai king celebrates the holiday in a luxury German hotel

With 30 poodles

Also this time there is no shortage of women companies. German newspaper picture The 69-year-old monarch is pictured at the Hilton Hotel pool in Munich, where he is joined by a much younger woman, who will officially be his security guard. Pictured, Vajiralongkorn wears a dark brown and orange Adidas tracksuit and a mouth mask. But it is clear that the Thai king does not want prying eyes: “Suddenly the manager of the hotel and the king’s security services came to me and demanded that I delete all the photos,” he said. pictureKarl Kim, who immediately called the police to ask for protection. The request to remove the images was a violation of German press freedom. But the king’s security services did not lose sight of me, so the police escorted me to my car.”

There were also more notable guests in attendance: the king brought in no fewer than 30 dogs, a dog breed he had been obsessed with for years. This has caused quite a stir in the past: his dog Foo Foo has been named Air Chief of Staff of the Royal Thai Air Force, wearing formal wear with mittens on his paws and attending several official events.

In 2014, Foo Foo made headlines again when a video surfaced of Princess Srirasm, the king’s third wife, feeding the dog a cake. The princess was only wearing a thong that caused a national scandal. In addition, when the dog died, Vajiralongkorn was given a four-day, multi-million-dollar funeral filled with extravagant Buddhist ceremonies.

“Homecoming”

He is finally back and feeling at home with poodles in his favorite kingdom, Bavaria picture Now he’s making fun of his return. According to the German newspaper, the king arrived with 250 servants and the entire fourth floor of the Hilton was rented for 11 days. After that, the king packed his bags again and went on, most likely near Lake Starnberg in the town of Tutzing, where he bought a villa in 2016. Although Rama X has been spending most of his time in Bavaria since 2007, he travels back to Thailand only has a few important celebrations, usually of less than 24 hours. The king was last seen in Thailand in October 2020, during the commemoration of the death of his father Bhumibol.

Oddly enough, the king’s 15-year-old son also resides in Germany, although he appears to be “at a safe distance”. according to picture The prince is staying in a rented villa in Wildaving, a town about 65 kilometers from the luxury hotel in Bavaria. But this will be conscious: Rama X will not care about his son (because he has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder) and would rather spend his time with all his mistresses.

Meanwhile, the young prince is spending his days in solitude: his mother, Princess Srirasmi, 49, was the third wife of the King of Thailand, and is said to have been haunted after their divorce in 2014. They eventually reached a settlement, with Srirasmi relinquishing custody of her son and moving her abroad. . according to picture Prince Dipangkorn and his mother have not met or spoken to each other since then.

Controversial presence

The presence of the king is very controversial in both Germany and Thailand. Travelers entering Germany from ‘high-risk areas’ (including Thailand) will be quarantined for at least five days unless they can prove they have been fully vaccinated or have recovered from Covid-19. But these rules do not concern King Rama X and his company. In addition, his return to Germany also coincides with a ruling by the Thai Constitutional Court, which ruled that the protesters’ demands to reform the monarchy were illegal. It states that “any attempt to overthrow the royal establishment” is prohibited.