A reporter, writing in one of the local rags recently, observed that “Palm Beach does not take itself too seriously.” Er… wrong. Very wrong. Palm Beach takes itself very seriously indeed and, as the location with the greatest density of billionaires, why not? And the two things it takes most seriously are money and property.
If you subscribe to The Spectator, there’s a fair chance you are a committed reader. Of books, I mean. Books are your friends, they don’t frighten you. Even long books. But here’s a behavioral oddity that I’ve noticed in others, and in myself. We tend not to read many books twice, but we do often
When the world thinks of Palm Beach – and it does more and more because Donald Trump has his home and his club there – the world tends to think of a sybaritic sunshiny town of palm trees, sandy beaches, rich old people, easy living, bland blondes, Range Rovers, Porsches, Bentleys and Bugattis as far
In these parts, it is always said that the most disappointing aspect of Palm Beach life is… well, the beach itself. Yes, it has sand, sea, minimal surf (and, as often as not, “dangerous marine life,” as the deep purple flags flown at the lifeguard stations indicate). But that is all. There is nothing like
America is, famously and proudly, a republic. Everyone is equal before the law. No earls or dukes or even knights of the realm. And a good thing, too. Er… not so fast. As one of the magazines devoted to Palm Beach life recently pointed out, there is one honor available to citizens of the United
The old saying, “It’s an ill wind that blows nobody good,” has received strong reinforcement during the recent unprecedented cold spell in the Palm Beaches. The rest of the world almost certainly thinks we lead a sybaritic life down here with the perennial sunshine taking the edge off the normal hardships that everyone else has
Does every billionaire have a private jet? Are they standard toys for these very special people? Intrigued by this uniquely modern possibility, I inquired of Palm Beach International Airport (PBIA) how many private jets are registered here. The answer: 172. Some of them are no doubt owned by corporations, but that number compares well with
Gossip galore in Palm Beach as the turbulent year of 2025 stumbled to its close. Top of the heap is the tale of the popular maître d’ of Bice, a swanky restaurant (the original opened years ago opposite Teatro alla Scalla in Milan), who has been arrested by ICE, allegedly for driving a car with
Whether President Trump really has solved six, seven or even eight wars, one conflict he can’t do anything about, for now at least, is the one in his hometown, Palm Beach, where he is partly responsible for tempers that are beginning to fray. This is all down not so much to Trump himself but to
Donald Trump continues to make news in his hometown
For a brief time, from Trump’s election until Easter, real estate enjoyed a brief boom – but no more
New-found popularity brings high-end problems
No fewer than 250 financial firms have relocated here in the years since the pandemic
With Trump spending so much time Mar-a-Lago, there are good spin-offs and not-so-good spin-offs
