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CoronavirusFeaturesThailand

King of Thailand leaves harem in Germany for Chakri day

King Maha Vajiralongkorn of Thailand, also known as King Rama X, has left his hotel in Germany, where he was holed up with a harem of 20 women, to travel to Zurich from where he flew to Thailand to celebrate Chakri Day. In Zurich, he was joined by his wife Queen Suthida, who has been staying in a Swiss hotel for several weeks. Thai Airways suspended its normal operations a week ago but made an exception for the Thai King and Queen.

Chakri Day honours King Rama I’s accession to the throne and the establishment of the Chakri Dynasty, which still rules today. The King and Queen arrived early on Monday morning to join the celebrations. Wreath-layings will happen all over the country as well as speeches of tribute.

The King and Queen will not stay in the country for long, as it is expected that they will return to Switzerland and Germany today.

There has been rising criticism of the King’s failure to return to Thailand during the Coronavirus crisis in the online community. The hashtag #Whydoweneedaking was trending for a while. However, insulting the monarchy is a crime in Thailand and a government minister warned that any inappropriate posts could be punishable by up to 15 years in prison.