Prince Charles has enjoyed an early birthday celebration at a £8,000-a-night hotel in Brunei.


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The prince – who turns 60 on November 14 – stayed at the exclusive Empire Hotel with his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, recently following an invitation from the Sultan of Brunei.

The royal couple were given the Emperor Suite of the hotel, which boasts gold doors and a £350,000 gilded camel-shaped crystal candlestick.

The lavish suite, which was paid for by the Sultan, is 7,166 sq ft – nearly five times the size of an average British home – and has its own 40 ft swimming pool, spa and sauna.

It also contains a four-poster bed, large dining room and precious artefacts valued at £10 million.

Hotel boss Manfred Keiler said: “Charles was speechless when he saw the room, and Camilla just said, ‘Wow!'”

Charles was recently criticised when it was revealed he will be given two parties to celebrate his birthday, despite the country being in the grip of an economic crisis.

A lavish state banquet will be laid on at Buckingham Palace hosted by Queen Elizabeth. There will also be a party for 75 of Charles’ friends at Highgrove, the prince’s Gloucestershire residence.

Camilla will reportedly be giving Charles 60 presents on his special day – one for every year of his life.

The presents include a pair of walking boots, a personalised fly fishing rod and some of his favourite episodes of comedy radio programme The Goon Show.

A source said: “Camilla was at a loss over what to buy for Charles – he is the man with everything. In the end, she decided that she would abandon the idea of buying one huge gift and instead present him with a number of
smaller gifts.

“It was as she was sourcing some of his favourite wines and literature that she seized on the idea of presenting him with a gift for every year of his life.”