Search continues for £4.8m golden toilet stolen from Blenheim Palace 2 years ago
An 18-carat working loo that was ripped from a wood-panelled room at the stately home, the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill, is still no closer to being found two years on.Back in September 2019, Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, who created the sculpture, was “mortified” by claims he had orchestrated its theft in a Banksy-style prank.
Thames Valley Police officers arrived minutes after the incident to tape off the scene and begin hunting for the toilet, which has never been found.
The Palace has suffered significant damage and flooding following the burglary, because the loo, designed by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, had been plumbed in and was available for visitors to use.
Seven people were arrested but never charged over the theft.
A gang broke into the 18th Century stately home and caused "significant damage and flooding" because the toilet was plumbed into the building.
At the time it was valued at $6m (£4.8m) and a reward of up to £100,000 was offered by insurers.
The golden toilet had proved popular at the Guggenheim in New York, its former home, and has been described by critics as a pointed satire against the excesses of wealth.
Cattelan has previously said: "Whatever you eat, a two-hundred-dollar lunch or a two-dollar hot dog, the results are the same, toilet-wise."
Ahead of the toilet's installation, the Duke of Marlborough's half-brother, Edward Spencer-Churchill, said the lavatory wouldn't be "the easiest thing to nick".