Thai Crown Prince looking for antiques in Belgium
High visit to our southern neighbours. In Tongeren, Belgium, the Thai prince came by last weekend to buy antiques. The Crown Prince of Thailand did a round of antique shopping, including in a thrift store. Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn (59) is one of the richest people in the world. "Still, his advisers haggled over the price."
On Thursday, the crown prince's advisers came by first. Fifteen men walked around my store for three hours. They had made an appointment in advance so that no one else was in the shop,' says Ivan Vanseer, antique dealer in Tongeren. "The advisers photographed anything they suspected would interest the prince."
'On Saturday the crown prince came himself, with a retinue of thirty men. The photos taken on Thursday were already in a photo book and the crown prince walked through the store with them. He told his advisers what pleased him.'
The crown prince is the only son of King Bhumibol (83). Although he had a photo book with him, Vanseer himself was not allowed to take photos of his high visit: forbidden by the advisers. At Vanseer, the Thai crown prince mainly chose cabinets and seating furniture. He let his advisers negotiate the price while he was already leaving for his next address: Kringloop en Brocante in Millen (Riemst).
Secure parking
'The advisers came to see me on Friday,' says Dolf Vliegen of the thrift store. 'To see the merchandise and to see where the crown prince could park safely. On Saturday afternoon the high guest arrived with his entire entourage.'
They were supposed to stay for fifteen minutes, but that ended up being an hour. The crown prince bought nineteen pieces, mainly carved furniture, and here too he competed for the price. 'Thanks to the internet, customers are increasingly aware of the bottom price. Don't fool our Thai friends either,' says Vliegen.
"I think my furniture will soon be in the crown prince's own house, because we have to ship everything to Thailand."
Private companies also shop there
The thrift shops often get well-known people over the floor, says spokeswoman Katelijne Cools: 'Especially people from the creative sector. Actress Tine Embrechts, for example, and draftsman Herr Seele, who bought a Pleyel upright piano from us two years ago for 50 euros. Writer Kristien Hemmerechts also visits our stores. Many people buy vintage pieces from us to combine with new interior pieces. But we've never had someone of the caliber of the Thai crown prince in our stores before.'
After the antique shops, the Thai group continued shopping at the antique market in Tongeren. They did well there too. They had everything they bought brought to Dolf Vliegen's van.
International fame
“In the evening we sat together with a few antique dealers and wondered why the crown prince has just come to Tongeren to buy antiques,” says Vliegen.
Natasha Verjans, responsible for the antiques market in Tongeren, knows the answer: 'With 300 exhibitors, our antiques market is the largest in the Benelux. We have international fame. The whole world comes here looking for that one piece of antique. I hear Czechs, Italians and Americans in our market. So it should come as no surprise that the Thai crown prince is also visiting.'
Source: Het Nieuwsblad – Municipality of Tongeren: Wealthy Thai prince haggles for Tonger's antiques