German officials have lifted quarantine rules on a luxury hotel to allow Thai King Rama X to go on holiday there with his entourage of 20 women.

The four-star Grand Hotel Sonnenbichl in the fashionable winter sports resort of Garmisch-Partenkirchen has been given special permission to stay open because the king and his entourage were classified in the same way as a household.

That meant they were part of a “homogeneous group that does not change composition”.

That meant that the hotel could be reclassified as a residential home and not a hotel for the purposes of the stay by the 67-year-old monarch who has been king of the country since 2016.

Locals believe that the hotel was so accommodating because the ultimate owner is the king himself, although according to the operating company when questioned by local media, they said it belongs to wealthy businessman and political consultant Omar Zawawi from Oman.

He is often seen in Germany where he owns property on Lake Starnberg and he is also a frequent visitor in Upper Bavaria.

Media reports say that the king, also known by his name Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun, was in the ski resort with 20 women in the entourage.

Although the ski resorts are no longer open, the king, who is known for his love of cycling has made frequent trips around local streets by bike.

Local officials who authorised the hotel to be used by the king as a residence say they were not aware of bicycle excursions by the group.

The trips if being made happened despite the fact that Bavaria was one of the 1st parts of Germany to go into lockdown. According to the latest statistics from the Johns Hopkins University, Germany currently has 33,593 confirmed cases of coronavirus with 164 deaths.

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