OXFORDSHIRE (England): A toilet seat made entirely from 18-carat-gold was stolen early morning on Saturday from Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, the birthplace of former prime minister Winston Churchill.
The toilet titled 'America', worth $5 million, was part of an art exhibition by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan titled 'Victory is Not an Option', reported CNN.
Thames Valley Police received a report of the theft at 4:57 am (Local time) and arrested a 66-year-old suspect in connection with the crime.
''We can confirm there was an incident overnight which has led to Blenheim Palace being closed until 2 pm today. We are working closely with Thames Valley Police and would direct any media inquiries to them at this stage,'' Blenheim Palace put out a statement on Twitter.
"We are saddened by this extraordinary event, but also relieved no one was hurt. We are very grateful to our staff and to Thames Valley Police for their rapid and brave reactions," Dominic Hare, CEO of Blenheim Palace, told CNN.
"We knew there was huge interest in the Maurizio Cattelan contemporary art exhibition, with many set to come and enjoy the installations. It's, therefore, a great shame an item so precious has been taken, but we still have so many fascinating treasures in the Palace and the remaining items of the exhibition to share," Hare added.
Ironically, back in August, in an interview with the Times, Edward Spencer-Churchill, the current Duke of Marlborough's half-brother and founder of the Blenheim Art Foundation, dismissed the possibility that the toilet could be stolen.
The toilet titled 'America', worth $5 million, was part of an art exhibition by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan titled 'Victory is Not an Option', reported CNN.
Thames Valley Police received a report of the theft at 4:57 am (Local time) and arrested a 66-year-old suspect in connection with the crime.
''We can confirm there was an incident overnight which has led to Blenheim Palace being closed until 2 pm today. We are working closely with Thames Valley Police and would direct any media inquiries to them at this stage,'' Blenheim Palace put out a statement on Twitter.
** UPDATE ** We can confirm there was an incident overnight which has led to Blenheim Palace being closed until 2p… https://t.co/1BvZQFGNar
— Blenheim Palace (@BlenheimPalace) 1568458856000"We are saddened by this extraordinary event, but also relieved no one was hurt. We are very grateful to our staff and to Thames Valley Police for their rapid and brave reactions," Dominic Hare, CEO of Blenheim Palace, told CNN.
"We knew there was huge interest in the Maurizio Cattelan contemporary art exhibition, with many set to come and enjoy the installations. It's, therefore, a great shame an item so precious has been taken, but we still have so many fascinating treasures in the Palace and the remaining items of the exhibition to share," Hare added.
Ironically, back in August, in an interview with the Times, Edward Spencer-Churchill, the current Duke of Marlborough's half-brother and founder of the Blenheim Art Foundation, dismissed the possibility that the toilet could be stolen.
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