London, February 17: A Saudi prince is being quizzed by police on suspicion of murder after one of his servants was found battered to death at a top London hotel.
Officers were called to the five-star Landmark Hotel in Marylebone, Central London, after a 32-year-old Saudi Arabian man was found dead in one of its suites.
The victim, believed to be part of the royal’s entourage, suffered severe head injuries in the attack.
Last night detectives were questioning a man in his 30s who told them he was a prince of the Saudi royal family.
It is thought that the unnamed royal had not claimed diplomatic immunity following his arrest on Monday evening.
Paramedics had earlier been called to a third-floor room of the hotel where they found the man dead.
Police were yesterday awaiting the results of a post mortem examination before releasing further details.
However, Yard sources confirmed that the case is being treated as a murder inquiry.
Last night a section of the hotel’s third floor was screened off from view of guests as the scene was photographed by forensics officers.
The death has shocked staff and guests at the prestigious hotel, which is popular with celebrities.
Rooms at the Grade II-listed Landmark Hotel, which was built in 1899, cost from £400 a night, while the presidential suite commands up to £2,400.
Former Oasis singer Liam Gallagher and his wife Nicole Appleton held their wedding reception there in February 2008.
Among the hotel’s most popular attractions are its beauty salon, pool and whirlpool bath where Justin Timberlake, TV presenter Myleene Klass and Formula One former world champion Lewis Hamilton have all been pampered.
In 2007, Michelle Obama held a fundraising-event at the hotel to boost her husband’s chances of getting into the White House, charging guests up to £1,150.
Yesterday the hotel’s general manager Francis Green issued a statement offering his condolences over the death.
‘Unfortunately, the Landmark Hotel can confirm the death of a guest on Monday who was staying at the hotel,’ he said.
‘Police were informed immediately and have launched an investigation surrounding this incident and we are co-operating fully with them and are therefore unable to comment further.
‘This is an isolated incident and our thoughts are with the relatives of the deceased.’
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: ‘The death is being treated as suspicious and is being investigated by officers from the Met Police’s Homicide and Serious Crime Command.’
The Saudi Arabian Ambassador to London was unavailable for comment last night.
–Agencies–