‘A full-time job’: How a self-proclaimed Swiss king’s ‘empire’ is riling local authorities.
10 May 2026
Jonas Lauwiner was widely dismissed as an eccentric when he held a coronation and crowned himself king of Switzerland in 2019.
Since then, he has used a loophole in Swiss law to acquire a 117 000-square-metre “land empire”, but local authorities are keen to stop him in his tracks.
Since then, he has used a loophole in Swiss law to acquire a 117 000-square-metre “land empire”, but local authorities are keen to stop him in his tracks.