Private club cracks down on ‘rude members’
Private club cracks down on ‘rude members’
Timothy SigsworthWed, October 14, 2026 at 12:51 PM UTC
0
The club, of which Prince Michael of Kent is the president, was founded in 1897 - mark phillips / Alamy Stock PhotoA private club has warned that too many of its members are “rude”.
A private club has warned that too many of its members are “rude”.
The Royal Automobile Club (RAC), of which the King is patron, said the amount of “profanity” and “inappropriate comments” made at the gentlemen’s club had increased.
Prince Michael of Kent is president of the Pall Mall club, which was founded in 1897 and established the RAC breakdown service.
Writing in the club’s magazine, Duncan Wiltshire, its chairman, said: “Senior managers are having to deal with an increasing number of cases of improper conduct by members, including being rude to employees, using profanity or making inappropriate comments.”
He added: “Sadly, this unacceptable behaviour is not limited to exchanges with employees; we are also seeing an increasing number of disciplinary cases arising from members being rude and disrespectful to each other.”
The club has a sign-up fee of up to £6,000 and also has a clubhouse and golf course in Epsom, Surrey.
Britain’s oldest motoring organisation sold its roadside assistance business for £437m in 1999 and now operates independently.
The RAC, situated on Pall Mall, has a sign-up fee of up to £6,000 - Getty Images/Peter Dazeley
Mr Wiltshire, the owner of Motor Racing Legends, wrote: “This is just the tip of the iceberg.”
He quoted one member, who said: “I have never seen the staff under such pressure brought about, I believe, by certain types of members.”
Advertisement
Mr Wiltshire added: “I am afraid that he has a point.”
The club is not the first to have experienced issues related to behaviour.
Last month, Mayfair’s Maison Estelle closed while the Met investigated “a serious public safety matter outside the premises”, which the police said may have involved a gun or an imitation gun.
Westminster city council said there had been “significant breaches of the premises licence”, but did not disclose further details. The club’s licence is scheduled to be reviewed at a hearing this month.
A Maison Estelle spokesman said at the time: “We have closed Maison Estelle for a few weeks while we carry out investigations after receiving information from the Metropolitan Police and following a serious public safety matter outside the premises.
“The safety of our staff, our members and their guests will always come first. We are continuing to work closely with Westminster city council and the police as we review our licence conditions and procedures.”
In 2024, the Hurlingham Club in Fulham investigated an incident of “inappropriate behaviour” in its sauna.
It was said that a member “made inappropriate comments of a sexual nature to a fellow member”.
The £1,400-a-year club overlooks the River Thames in Fulham and is a popular society venue.
The Hurlingham Club was approached for a response and the Royal Automobile Club declined to comment.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
