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full screen British actor Benedict Cumberbatch is one of the Garrick Club members. Archive image. Photo: Chris Pizzello/AP/TT
The historic men’s club Garrick Club in London has voted to admit women – 193 years after the club was established, The Guardian reports.
The vote was held after the magazine published a list of the 60 most influential members. The review found that the majority are white and older than 50 years.
Members include actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Brian Cox, artist Sting, King Charles, Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden, as well as MPs, leading lawyers and heads of influential think tanks.
The vote – where just under 60 percent voted in favor of female members – was preceded by a meeting where several hundred members debated the pros and cons of admitting women.
The club’s management states that it has been contacted by more than 200 members who threatened to leave the association if the vote were to go against female membership.
The Garrick Club was founded in 1831 and is one of the last clubs of its kind not to admit women.