Thailand’s controversial king is self-isolating in a luxury four-star hotel with his harem of 20 concubines.
King Maha Vajiralongkorn, also known as Rama X, has angered many with his decision to self-isolate in the hotel.
He is said to have booked out the Grand Hotel Sonnenbichl after the hotel received “special permission” from the district council to accommodate his party.
His group includes a harem of 20 concubines and numerous servants, but it is currently unclear as to whether or not his four wives are in the hotel with the rest of the group.
A spokesperson for the local district council has defended the choice to let the king stay there as “the guests are a single homogenous group of people with no fluctuation”, despite guesthouses and hotels in the region being ordered to close down.
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119 members of the entourage have reportedly been sent back to Thailand on suspicions they have contracted coronavirus.
News of Vajiralongkorn’s self-isolation in a luxury location was met with anger by thousands of Thai people who criticised him online.
This is despite the lèse-majesté laws that are currently in place, which means that criticising the royal family is illegal and punished with imprisonment for up to 15 years. A Thai hashtag, which translate to “Why do we need a king?” appeared 1.2 million times on Twitter after an activist claimed that the king was travelling on holiday in Germany while the outbreak continued to ravage Thailand.
Activist Somsak Jeamteerasakul is a vocal critic of Thailand’s monarchy and said in one post that the King will let the Thai people worry about the virus.
“[Vajiralongkorn will] let the Thai people worry about the virus. Even Germany is worried about the virus [but] it’s none of his business.”
The Thai king has not made a public appearance in his hoem country since February.
This article originally appeared on Over60.