Exclusive London gentlemen’s club with members like King Charles will admit women

NOS News•today, 12:48

The very exclusive London Garrick Club will admit women. The club currently consists entirely of men and the membership list is secret. It is known that the British King Charles is a member, as well as ministers and well-known actors and singers.

The decision was taken after members of the gentlemen’s club became divided over the absence of women. Members such as musicians Mark Knopfler and Sting threatened to resign if the company continued to refuse women.

On Tuesday, the club’s members voted in London’s West End. Sixty percent were in favor of welcoming women. Garrick Club is one of the last men’s clubs that did not admit women. It is not yet known whether any women have already registered to become members.

The Guardian published part of the Garrick Club’s secret membership list. Actors Damian Lewis and Benedict Cumberbatch are featured, as are former minister Oliver Dowden and British cricket commentator David Gower. The gynecologist who gave birth to Prince George, Marcus Setchell, was also allowed to join the private club.

The Garrick Club was founded in 1831 for actors and “refined and highly educated men”. This was done by a group of literary men under the protection of the king’s brother, the former Duke of Sussex. The club was named after the actor David Garrick (1717-1779). One of the first members was writer Charles Dickens.

In 2015, the men’s club also held a vote on admitting women, but it did not get the majority necessary. The opponents argued that men behave differently when women are present. “There’s camaraderie, banter and the knowledge that you can say anything you want in an equal atmosphere where no one is trying to impress anyone else,” they said.