Steerpike Steerpike

Aristocrats, champagne and a Rolex: George Osborne’s 21st birthday bash

Although Tatler received a boost to its readership following the BBC’s ‘Posh People: Inside Tatler’, a fly-on-the-wall documentary about the magazine, for some ‘posh people’ the society bible has long been essential reading.

One such man who fits this description is none other than the current Chancellor of the Exchequer. Thanks to Tatler‘s Bystander archive, Mr S has been granted a glimpse into the 21st birthday celebrations of a young Gideon Osborne.

His party was covered by the magazine back in 1992, and shows that Osborne enjoyed a bash at the trendy Groucho club where guests toasted him ‘endlessly’ with champagne. While Osborne nowadays tends to play down his wealthy background in the face of his austerity cuts, his guest Loyd Grossman’s big concern on the night was ‘whether his Rolex would ever be the same again’ after a magician performed a trick with it.

Comments

Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months

Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.

Already a subscriber? Log in