Tycoon David Reuben is yet another billionaire to up sticks from the Royal Borough and leave the UK for a tax haven, according The Sunday Times.

The story of David’s departure from his mansion in Holland Park to the less taxing paradise of Monaco was reported by Robert Watts in The Sunday Times, the writer who compiles the much-looked-at Rich List.

David, his brother Simon and their family are second on this year’s Sunday Times Rich List, with a combined fortune of just under £28 billion.

Reuben is by no means the first RBKC-based billionaire to leave. Norwegian shipping magnate John Fredriksen slung his hook in 2024. He still retains his mansion in Chelsea, but laid off most of his regular staff.

Reuben’s brother Simon has lived in Monaco for around 40 years. The principality is affectionately known as “Alcatraz for the Rich” (© Mick Hucknall!).

However, The Guardian revealed yesterday that, in fact, David has been a tax resident in Monaco since at least 2014. Not quite such a shocking revelation then.

The exit timeline is now somewhat doubtful, but he has certainly gone, no matter when.

The Times calculates that 24 of the 350 people and families on the 2026 Rich List now live in Monaco. Translate that into money: British residents of Monaco account for about £77 billion of wealth.

Despite leaving London as a resident, he is still overseeing separate £1 billion restorations of London landmarks and is a shareholder in Newcastle United.

What does this mean for Holland Park? For locals, the more tangible question is what happens to the house – and the spending that tends to come with a billionaire household. Although perhaps this is a 12-year-old question?

The brothers made their fortune through metals and property – with the latter very much visible around our part of London.

Look at the Reuben Brothers Real Estate Holdings page and the Reuben London footprint is rather more extensive than the Holland Park address he has left.

For Chelsea eyes, most interesting are numerous prime Sloane Street shops and 125-133 Old Brompton Road, which housed Ferrari’s showroom at the front and has mews houses to the rear. The family’s property interests also extend into Kensington and Victoria.

And, perhaps most famously, there is the luxury shopping destination Burlington Arcade. The Reuben Brothers acquired the Piccadilly arcade in 2018.

Then there is the London Heliport – formerly Battersea Heliport – which the brothers bought in 2012 for £35 million. Ironic, somewhat, that despite leaving the capital, the family still owns the best way to exit London when you’re rich.

So, while David Reuben may be leaving Holland Park for Monaco – indeed, he may have left a while ago – the Reuben presence around Chelsea and west London has not and is not disappearing. His home address may have changed, but the Reuben family’s property footprint has not.