Patience running out with king of the jetset
As former subjects of Mad King Ludwig, Bavarians are accustomed to eccentric monarchs and have responded for years with benign bemusement to the antics of Thailand’s king, Maha Vajiralongkorn, who, along with an army of courtiers, has been a semi-permanent resident of the Alpine region for more than a decade.
But the king, who enjoys godlike status in his home country, is starting to rile some of his hosts as he jets in and out of Europe on apparent pleasure trips despite lockdowns and quarantine rules imposed in the coronavirus pandemic.
He is reported to have spent recent weeks in a hotel that is closed to ordinary travellers in the picturesque Bavarian town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, and from there to have made trips in his personal Boeing 737 to Dresden, Leipzig and Hanover.
He made a fleeting trip from Zurich to Bangkok on Monday to mark a public holiday, Chakri Memorial Day, which commemorates the establishment of the dynasty he heads.
He is said to have used a Thai Airways jet reserved exclusively for him; the airline has stopped its scheduled services to Europe.
After the briefest of stays, King Vajiralongkorn, 67, headed back to the Grand Hotel Sonnenbichl in Bavaria, triggering accusations that he is flouting the rules during the health crisis, and that the authorities are turning a blind eye to it because of his wealth and VIP status.
Bild, Germany’s bestselling newspaper, wrote: ‘‘It is doubtful whether his excursion is in line with the quarantine rules.’’
One of the paper’s reporters was arrested by Swiss police for trying to photograph the king’s arrival at Zurich airport.
‘‘We are once again getting the impression that the Swiss authorities are putting the interests of important guests of state ahead of the public interest,’’ a spokesman for Amnesty International said.
Swiss tabloid Blick said: ‘‘The king is his own court jester.’’
German pandemic regulations state that non-EU citizens who have no long-term right of residence are not allowed to enter unless they have an urgent reason, and that entry for the purposes of tourism is no longer permitted.
King Vajiralongkorn, as a head of state, is likely to hold diplomatic status, but it is unclear whether his trips to and around Germany can be classified as official.
The Bavarian police and the state health ministry have said they have no indication that his entourage is breaching lockdown rules. – The Times