EXCLUSIVE – Meet the self-declared ‘King of Park Lane’: Romanian traveller lives in a massive tent he pitched in exclusive Mayfair opposite £1k-a-night Park Lane Hilton hotel where he begs for money – and has IGNORED police orders to leave the area
- Aurel Roman and Larisa are living on grass in centre of Mayfair dual carriageway
A traveller has taken up permanent residence in Park Lane where the average property price is around £12 million.
Aurel Roman and his partner Larisa erected a giant tent on a grass verge in the centre of the Mayfair dual carriageway three months ago and have ignored police instructions to leave.
Mr Roman, 39, who arrived in the UK legally from Romania, said: ‘They come regularly to tell us we must leave and I say “No” and one of the officers said “You mustn’t act like you are the King of Park Lane” and I told him I am!
‘This is my new home and I don’t have to pay anybody a penny for it. Larisa and I have come to the UK legally and maybe, yes, we are breaking somebody’s laws, but we cannot do anything but survive.’
He showed his and his partner’s passports with UK entry stamps and revealed they had left their four children – each have a son and daughter- behind with their ex partners.
Aurel Roman erected a giant tent on a grass verge in the centre of the Mayfair dual carriageway three months ago
He lives there with his partner Larisa erected a giant tent on a grass verge in the centre of the Mayfair dual carriageway three months ago
Asked why he had chosen one of Britain’s most costliest streets to reside in, he said: ‘Larisa and I are beggars. This is a good place to reach Victoria Station and Oxford Street to ask people for money.
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‘The London people do help us but some tell us to ‘f*** off’ and to get jobs.
‘I would love to work but somebody stole all my papers from our tent. We lost our ‘government papers’ and now I cannot get any labouring work or any job. What am I to do?’
Mr Roman and his wife sleep in a tiny green tent which has a larger tent erected over it.
As he spoke Larisa fed a loft of pigeons from crisp packets and has strung up apples for birds to peck on. She has also installed flower plants into the earth in the hope they will help make their stay more homely.
But nearby officials have installed traps to snare rats and other vermin and some drivers sneer and shout abuse at them as they motor by.
She speaks no English, but Mr Roman said: ‘She wants you to know that we are good people. We are struggling in life and have to beg. But we cause nobody any trouble.’
However, some who have taken up residence between the dual carriageway in the past have been known to cause trouble with pickpocketing and anti-social behaviour.
Food and drink can be seen outside the tent, including three Activia yogurts, a packet of Thai Sweet Chilli flavoured Walkers Sensations, a clementine, and a Nutella and Go snack pot, as well as what appears to be a candle
Mr Roman, 39, has ignored police instructions to leave. He said ‘they come regularly to tell us we must leave and I say “No”‘ and he is ‘the King of Park Lane’
He doesn’t ‘have to pay anybody a penny for’ his new home and said he and Larisa have come to the UK legally. ‘Maybe, yes, we are breaking somebody’s laws, but we cannot do anything but survive’
He showed his and his partner’s passports with UK entry stamps and revealed they had left their four children – each have a son and daughter- behind with their ex-partners
Asked why he had chosen one of Britain’s costliest streets to reside in, he said they are beggars and ‘this is a good place to reach Victoria Station and Oxford Street to ask people for money’
Mr Roman and his wife sleep in a tiny green tent which has a larger tent erected over it opposite the the £1,000-a-night Park Lane Hilton Hotel
The couple use the facilities offered by local coffee shops and visit homeless charities for support but said they were worried about a cold winter and expected to be there into the New Year.
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Opposite their home are the luxury Park Lane Hilton and The Dorchester where room rates can start from more than £1k a night.
Top of the range cars such as Mclaren, Bentley and Ferrari line the streets nearby and an Aston Martin showroom has pride of place next to the five star Grosvenor House Hotel.
Mr Roman added: ‘Good luck to them. In this lifetime I will never have that money. But we survive and remain happy.’
They each have pieces of cardboard which have marker pen messages which they brandish when begging for money.
A drifter from Scotland called ‘Keef’ has also taken up residence.
He said: ‘I have a place to stay in the east end of Glasgow by a homeless charity. But I am a traveller and I have stayed here before.
‘I have just come down for a few weeks to pick up a bicycle and then head back.
Larisa sits on a deckchair outside the tent surrounded by a loft of pigeons. She feeds the birds from crisp packets and has strung up apples for them to peck on
George Roman, who is 60 this month and speaks no English, said he was looking for a ‘profession’ (job)
A drifter from Scotland called ‘Keef’ has also taken up residence. He said: ‘I have a place to stay in the east end of Glasgow by a homeless charity. But I am a traveller and I have stayed here before’
‘I like it here in Park Lane. Its my second home, my London residence. I always stay right here when I am in town.
‘I have brought my tent with me. But it needs repairing because last time I was here somebody took a knife to it and slashed it. It can be dangerous here at night.’
Another Romanian has pitched up a tent nearby opposite The Dorchester.
George Roman, who is 60 this month and speaks no English, said he was looking for a ‘profession’ (job).
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