Is this the end of the Murdoch drama?
So at last, the vexed question of who is going to succeed the now 94-year-old Rupert Murdoch has been settled.…
Prince Harry returns, but does Britain want him back?
“Success”, Winston Churchill was once reputed to have said, “is the ability to go from failure to failure without loss…
The Paper is really, really bad
Making a spin-off of a spin-off is the trickiest task on television, not least because it assumes that the audience…
Is Austin Butler a movie star?
In the old days of Hollywood, stars and starlets alike were anointed as “It” girls and men. Nobody was ever…
It’s a pity David Bowie never finished his Spectator musical
Anyone who’s remotely interested in music, fashion, cinema, literature or indeed any of the things that make life worth living,…
The style and influence of Giorgio Armani
When I was younger, I once saw an Armani overcoat in the window of the company’s store in London and…
In praise of Tony McNamara
American audiences did not exactly flock to the Benedict Cumberbatch-Olivia Colman comedy The Roses last weekend, but those who did…
Is it possible to learn anything new about the royal family?
Another week, another round of royal revelations. Following swiftly on from the publication of Andrew Lownie’s bestselling denigration of the…
Is Taylor Swift’s love life too good to be true?
After years of dating effete Englishmen, Taylor Swift has finally found her man. The singer is engaged to Travis Kelce,…
Is Jack White washed up?
Once, it might have seemed strange for American politicians to use a rock star as a proxy means of sniping…
With Love, Meghan 2 is just as ghastly as season one
Like death and taxes, the second instalment of With Love, Meghan has come around again, sloughing into view to the…
Does Virginia Giuffre have the power to finish off Prince Andrew?
There’s an old saying that revenge tastes best when served cold. The late Virginia Giuffre has gone a step further…
I actually feel sorry for Prince Andrew
Andrew Lownie’s minutely detailed account of the Duke of York’s disgrace and downfall achieves the near impossible
John Boyne and the bitter truth about the Polari Prize
The news that the Polari Prize for LGBTQ+ writing is not to be awarded this year after outrage that the…
Terence Stamp bent the Swinging Sixties to his will
There are two famous images of the late Terence Stamp, one taken from one of his films, the other from…
God save the great British pudding!
There are certain names of puddings that, if whispered to an Englishman of a certain age, will bring back near-Proustian…
King Charles’s poignant VJ Day reminder
It has been one of the hallmarks of King Charles’s reign so far that, when he makes a commemorative or…
Did I underestimate Harry and Meghan?
It is important for any self-respecting writer to admit when they get it wrong. So it is with an element…
The truth about Meghan and Harry’s renewed Netflix deal
It is important for any self-respecting writer to admit when they get it wrong. So it is with an element…
Tesco has debased the honourable English sandwich
If you want one indication of the decline of Britain in 2025, it is the image that Tesco put out…
Could Prince Andrew’s reputation sink any lower?
Even the most seasoned royal watchers may not have expected the revelations that came from the serialisation of Andrew Lownie’s…
Sydney Sweeney, Gwyneth Paltrow and the misogynists
Dear God, please help me. The winged monkeys of incel outrage have mobilized in their millions. Basement warriors have exerted…
Will Peaky Blinders’ Steven Knight ruin James Bond?
Up until yesterday, I was beginning to feel cautiously optimistic about the new James Bond film. After a long hiatus…
Is Stephen Fry the right choice to play Lady Bracknell?
Last year, the National Theatre staged The Importance of Being Earnest in a new production by Max Webster. It attracted…
Princess Diana and Jeffrey Epstein
When I was promoting the various books I wrote about the British royal family, I was asked a number of…
