• King Juan Carlos can be seen in London before the trip to Sanxenxo

King Juan Carlos (85) has taken advantage of his stay in London to enjoy his nightlife and dine at the most exclusive private club in the city. It has been the Daily Mail newspaper who has uncovered the visit this past Monday of the Emeritus to Oswald's in the company of some friends, the billionaires Wafic and Rosemary Saïd, of Syrian-Saudi origin, as revealed by Vanity Fair. The Saïds acted as hosts, since access to the club, located in Mayfair, one of the most expensive neighborhoods in the world, is under strict invitation of a member.

King Philip's father left Oswald's at 11 p.m. and, escorted by two aides, greeted the photographers who captured him before leaving in a 4x4 for the hotel where he has stayed, in the same neighborhood.

Oswald's is one of the private London clubs that usually frequent members of the British royal family, aristocrats, politicians, millionaires and celebrities such as Prince William, Queen Camilla, Boris Johnson or Amber Heard, who was with her sister Whitney eating during the second day of Johnny Depp's defamation trial against The Sun. There they eat, dine or enjoy a cocktail in absolute privacy.

The club was opened in 2018 and is owned by Robin Birley (65), who also owns another of London's most celebrated private clubs, 5 Hertford Street (5HS), where Harry and Meghan had their first date. In addition to having a select clientele, Oswald's is known for its interior design, baroque and luxurious, with golden rooms inspired by Versailles.

It is also famous for its wine cellar, which boasts some of the most expensive and exquisite bottles in the world. Club members can also store their own collections there, guarded by Tim Parkinson, the director of the wine bar.

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Robin Birley has followed in the footsteps of his father, Mark Birley, a hospitality entrepreneur who created the first members-only club in Mayfair. In a short time Annabel's became the temple of high society and the most exclusive London celebrity. Prince Charles, as well as Diana and Sarah Ferguson frequented it. The club was named after Mark Birley's wife, socialiteAnnabelVane-Tempest-Stewart, Robin's mother. The marriage ended up divorcing in 1975 and she remarried billionaire James Goldsmith, with whom she had three other children, including Jemima, who married Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and was Hugh Grant's girlfriend.

The club's website.

The Birleys have suffered several dramas over the years. Robin suffered a terrible accident as a child when he was attacked by a pregnant tigress in the private zoo of a millionaire family friend. He was 12 years old and his face was disfigured after the attack. His older brother, Rupert, disappeared in 1986 while bathing in Togolese waters in West Africa. His body never appeared. And a granddaughter of Annabel died at age 14, in 2019, crushed by the quad she was driving after overturning the vehicle.

After Mark's death in 2007, Robin and his sister India Jane (62) had a strong fight over the inheritance, valued at 240 million dollars. A few months before he died, Mark sold his clubs against his family's wishes. Robin contested the will, which gave most of the estate to India Jane's two-and-a-half-year-old son, Eben.

Robin chose the name of his paternal grandfather, Oswald Birley, the royal family's favorite portraitist, to christen his club. Privacy has been one of his obsessions. No mobile phones are seen there and photos are banned. On its website nothing is glimpsed or revealed and is only illustrated with a watercolor of the façade of the building. No trace of the interior.



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