The Crown prince of Thailand has set up camp at a five-star hotel in the Hampshire countryside as his nation is wracked by political violence.
While Maha Vajiralongkorn and his royal retinue have taken over a wing of grade-II listed Tylney Hall in the village of Rotherwick, 6,000 miles away the Royal Thai Army — in which he holds the rank of general — are taking control of his country following six months of political unrest and street protests.
Thailand’s powerful military has declared martial law, suspended the constitution, and imposed a night-time curfew with soldiers fanning out across the capital Bangkok. It comes after a court ordered the removal of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra over alleged abuse of power, and mounting tension between her “Yellow-shirt” opponents and “Red-shirt” supporters.
Meanwhile, Prince Vajiralongkorn, heir apparent to revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej, has set up residence in rural England with a squad of security guards.
Rooms at Tylney Hall start at £250 a night, rising to £530 for the Duke and Duchess Suites with four-poster beds and whirlpool baths. The prince’s entourage arrived a week ago, his possessions being unloaded from a huge lorry. One onlooker said: “There seemed to be hundreds of boxes. It looked like they were planning to stay a while.” A marquee has been set up in the gravelled courtyard to house two top-of-the-range Mercedes, including one with the numberplate THAI 1.