A female reporter went undercover at a men-only London charity gala, and her report shocked Britain


Last Thursday night, Britain's Presidents Club Charitable Trust held its 33rd and, as it turns out, final annual charity event for "worthy children's causes" at London's Dorchester hotel. The charity event is open only to male guests, with about 360 men from the top tiers of business, sports, and politics attending, served by 130 young female "hostesses." On Wednesday, the Financial Times shocked Britain with its undercover investigation of the event, attended by reporter Madison Marriage posing as a hostess. By Wednesday night, two children's hospitals were returning the donations in disgust, event chairman David Miller stepped down from Britain's Department of Education, and the Presidents Club charity said it was closing down.
In her article, Marriage walks through the process of becoming a hostess: Only "tall, thin, and pretty" women need apply, and successful applicants were told to wear black underwear, given tight black dresses and corset-like belts to wear, made up to look "smart" and "sexy," warned that some of the men would be "annoying," told they could drink, and sent out into the sea of handsy black-tie A-listers. For up to 10 hours of work they were paid £150 ($215) and £25 for a taxi home. Hostesses told Marriage they were groped and had men repeatedly stick hands up their skirts and proposition them for sex; one man exposed his penis, and a sexagenarian asked one woman if she was a prostitute.
Marriage told The Washington Post that she was also "propositioned and groped and received some very lewd comments" but did not want to include that in the article. "I genuinely felt incredibly sad and upset by what I had seen, the fact that the upper echelons of our society are operating this way in 2018," she added. Read more of the disheartening details at the Financial Times, which has put this article outside of its paywall.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Hotels with kitchen gardens for a foodie weekend away
The Week Recommends Feast on seasonal produce straight from the veg patch at these country retreats
-
Succession planning as the Dalai Lama turns 90
In the Spotlight China 'determined to shape the narrative' around choice of Tibet's next spiritual leader
-
AI is creating a luxury housing renaissance in San Francisco
Under the Radar Luxury homes in the city can range from $7 million to above $20 million
-
Economists fear US inflation data less reliable
speed read The Labor Department is collecting less data for its consumer price index due to staffing shortages
-
Crypto firm Coinbase hacked, faces SEC scrutiny
Speed Read The Securities and Exchange Commission has also been investigating whether Coinbase misstated its user numbers in past disclosures
-
Starbucks baristas strike over dress code
speed read The new uniform 'puts the burden on baristas' to buy new clothes, said a Starbucks Workers United union delegate
-
Warren Buffet announces surprise retirement
speed read At the annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway, the billionaire investor named Vice Chairman Greg Abel his replacement
-
Trump calls Amazon's Bezos over tariff display
Speed Read The president was not happy with reports that Amazon would list the added cost from tariffs alongside product prices
-
Markets notch worst quarter in years as new tariffs loom
Speed Read The S&P 500 is on track for its worst month since 2022 as investors brace for Trump's tariffs
-
Tesla Cybertrucks recalled over dislodging panels
Speed Read Almost every Cybertruck in the US has been recalled over a stainless steel panel that could fall off
-
Crafting emporium Joann is going out of business
Speed Read The 82-year-old fabric and crafts store will be closing all 800 of its stores