The King of Thailand has ended his self-isolation and returned home for a festival after hiring out an entire luxury German hotel for him and his harem of 20 concubines, it has been reported.
The monarch, 67, left the 4-star hotel in Bavaria on Saturday night so he could attend the Chakri Festival in Bangkok which began on Monday.
The festival commemorates the establishment of the royal dynasty, making it an unmissable event for the controversial ruler.
According to a plan devised by his palace, he left the Grand Hotel Sonnenbichl in the middle of the night and drove to Munich airport, reports BILD.
He flew to Zurich with his entourage and met with his wife, Suthida, 41, who had been staying in Switzerland. A Thai Airways flight then brought them back to Bangkok.
Thai Airways suspended its regular operations over a week ago due to the new coronavirus outbreak.
It was recently reported that the King booked out the entire hotel, with permission from the local district council.
119 members of the royal entourage are thought to have been sent back to Thailand amid concerns they had contracted COVID-19.
It comes as the king is facing increasing resistance within his kingdom.
Under the slogan ‘Why do we need a king?’, a steadily growing group of activists are demanding the king’s abdication.
Thailand reported 54 new coronavirus cases and two more deaths today, including a 74-year-old French national.
An 82-year-old Thai man also died, said a spokesman for the government’s Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration.
The new cases include five Thais repatriated from Indonesia who had travelled to South Sulawesi province for a religious gathering last month before the event was postponed.
Thailand has reported a total of 2,423 cases and 32 fatalities, while 940 patients have recovered and gone home since the outbreak started in January.
