A group of thieves managed to swipe a solid gold toilet from the Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of Winston Churchill and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The shiny throne is worth up to $1.25 million. It was created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan and had been on display in New York's Guggenheim Museum before making its way to the palace, where visitors could book a three-minute appointment to use the latrine.
It had been installed at Blenheim in Oxfordshire only two day before the heist. The robbers stole the toilet in the early hours of Saturday, police said. Because it was actually hooked up to the building's plumbing and fully functional, the raid caused "significant damage and flooding," police added.
"We are saddened by this extraordinary event, but also relieved no-one was hurt," the palace said in a statement. Blenheim's website said the building was closed to the public because of "an unforeseen incident."
Though "the artwork" has not yet been recovered, police said, a 66-year-old man has been arrested in the case.
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