Lord Darzi robbed of €200,000 watch on Capri holiday
Lord Darzi, 65, a surgeon and former health minister, was relaxing with friends when he was targeted by two thieves as he left the island's main piazza around 10.30pm on Sunday.
They were followed by two men as they walked along the Via Vittorio Emanuele street, which is lined with designer shops, towards Lord Darzi's yacht, which was moored offshore.
Police said the thieves suddenly ran towards the group and grabbed the peer's Richard Mille watch, estimated to be worth more than €200,000 (£175,000), from his wrist.
The thieves then fled down the street and through the nearby Augustus Gardens to a waiting motorboat in the small bay known as Marina Piccola.
Lord Darzi does not appear to have been injured in the attack. Police are checking for CCTV video and have released images of two casually dressed men in shirts and shorts captured by the cameras.
The Armenian-British surgeon, who holds the Paul Hamlyn chair of surgery at Imperial College, was understood to have been on holiday in the Gulf of Naples on his private yacht for several days.
He visited the island's central piazza, which is surrounded by bars and restaurants, days after Boris Johnson, the former British prime minister, partied there with his wife, Carrie.
The attack on Lord Darzi raises questions about security, particularly on the island of Capri, which is a magnet for the world's rich and famous, especially in the summer months.
The island has a reputation for attracting VIPs and Hollywood A-listers.The billionaire Jeff Bezos and his new wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, visited Capri recently, and the Hollywood actors Leonardo DiCaprio, Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon have also been spotted on the island off the coast of Naples.
Paolo Falco, Capri's mayor, declined to speak to The Telegraph but told Italian media that the island was safe enough 'to sleep with your doors open'.
'What happened is certainly an anomaly for an island that is and remains profoundly safe and welcoming,' he told the daily, La Repubblica.
'Indeed, we fear that it was a targeted and planned action. In any case, we will strengthen security measures, even in the most central and touristically frequented areas.'
There is growing concern about violent attacks elsewhere in Italy, however, as tourism and hospitality continue to boom across the country.
In July last year, thieves stole a diamond-studded Rolex watch from a tourist after tailing her down Rome's main shopping street, Via del Corso, and punching her in the stomach.
Late last year, a 30-year-old German tourist was robbed at knifepoint by three teenagers who stole his wallet containing several hundred euros near the Colosseum.
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