From Park Lane to Palm Beach: London club owner eyes Florida rival to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago

A London private members’ club owner is closing in on a deal for a venue in Palm Beach, in the hopes of creating a rival to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago and to take advantage of an influx of wealthy British people to the Florida region.Robin Birley is understood to be close to securing a property for his latest club, part financed by the billionaire Reuben brothers, who in 2024 were named the third-richest family in the UK by the Sunday Times Rich List.His London clubs, Oswald’s and 5 Hertford Street, have welcomed the likes of Prince William, Leonardo Di Caprio and Hugh Grant. But they are most known for being the unofficial headquarters for some less glamorous figures on the right of British politics, including Nigel Farage, Boris Johnson and, until recently, Liz Truss, who was a regular at 5 Hertford Street until she became a persona non grata for prowling the premises to recruit members for her own, rival club.5 Hertford Street is known for being unofficial headquarters for rightwing figures in the UK, including Nigel Farage, Boris Johnson and Liz Truss. Photograph: Rob Pinney/Getty ImagesThe Palm Beach property will be his most lavish venue yet, with plans for an outdoor swimming pool, and sources said he is in the process of looking at art and consulting top interior designers to create a more flashy, American feel.The plans come as those on the right around the world accept that the centre of political gravity has heavily shifted towards the Florida island, which is the home address of president Donald Trump, who has a makeshift war room in his Mar-a-Lago club and often mingles with the guests as they sip cocktails by the beach or circulate in his gilded ballrooms.Birley hopes to compete with Trump’s club and offer a more discreet venue for wealthy people to relax after a round of golf and party poolside. Photograph: ANBN/Andy Barnes/BACKGRIDBirley hopes to compete with Trump’s club and offer a more discreet, but still opulent, venue for wealthy people to relax after a round of golf and party poolside until the small hours of the morning. While 5 Hertford Street is a warren of cosy, firelit rooms in which to whisper secrets and strike deals, the Palm Beach location will be more extravagant, as part of a chain that allows members of Birley’s London clubs access to US venues. Birley opened a club, Maxime’s, on New York’s Madison Avenue last year.Rightwing figures from the UK have found themselves drawn to Palm Beach, in the hope of entering the orbit of Donald Trump. Former UK prime minister Liz Truss, who has been shunned even by Reform UK after her disastrous mini budget crashed the economy and torpedoed her premiership in 2022, recently travelled to Mar-a-Lago to meet Trump.She said Palm Beach was the “epicentre of the counter-elite” who are taking on the liberal establishment based in New York and Los Angeles which she believes is “destroying the west”.“There are a lot of Brits, who are fleeing the weather and the even worse political climate, with non-stop wokery,” Truss declared.Nigel Farage seems to concur and has spent a large amount of time in the locale, and travelled there last week in the hope of bumping into Trump. He also earlier this year attended a gala at Mar-a-Lago with British socialite Lady Victoria Hervey, who is the former girlfriend of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and a Palm Beach regular. Reform donor Nick Candy has also paid visits to Trump’s club, and was pictured with Farage and Elon Musk in front of an oil painting of the president.Aside from political figures, plenty of wealthy Britons and celebrities have relocated. Rod Stewart has swapped the London drizzle for Palm Beach sunshine, and David Beckham splits his time between there and the UK.An interior view of the billiard room at Mar-a-Lago. Photograph: Marc Serota/Getty ImagesNot all Floridians have been pleased with an influx of wealthy expats such as Stewart. Those living there have had to grapple with extreme weather, hurricanes, floods and now property prices, which are shooting up as foreign buyers bid for second homes.Still, Senada Adzem from Douglas Elliman real estate brokers said that there have been at least 20 major home sales to British buyers since December 2025.“I personally handle a lot of British clients who are buying in Palm Beach,” she told the Guardian. “I have seen an uptick in very wealthy Brits who are not just buying holiday homes, but who are relocating. A lot of them feel like wealth preservation is a good reason to have a primary residence in the area.”Because of the influx of rich international buyers, “there is a demand for a lot of exclusive restaurants and private members’ clubs, there is a confluence of events where all these people from all over the world, including Brits, have chosen to settle here. They are choosing it over Miami which is too busy, with too many skyscrapers, but they still want a good nightlife and to have cultural experiences on their doorsteps”.Estate agent Alistair Brown says he has seen ‘remarkable growth’ in demand from UK buyers in Florida. Photograph: Trump EstatesShe added that while once people travelled to the area during the “season” of December to May, “it’s now a year-round residence. It isn’t sleepy any more”.Alistair Brown, chief executive of West Palm Beach Properties, said that business from Britons is booming.He added: “We have been based here for 25 plus years, and yes we have seen remarkable growth in demand from the UK. I regularly travel between Florida and London meeting families who are considering both relocating or spending winters here. The advent of the traditional UK club entering this market will work nicely into the very socially connected city.“The ‘membership’ model is alive and well here, typically golf clubs in this area, the private club on Palm Beach Island will be a great addition and, in my mind, do well.”