Nicholas Coleridge

Spear’s Review

Media and publishing giant Sir Nicholas Coleridge, who spent decades overseeing an empire of magazines at Condé Nast, returned to his alma mater in September 2024 to take up the post of provost of Eton College. He has spoken warmly of his time as a student and is reported to have said that he ‘prefers the company of Etonians to the company of people from any other school in the world’.

The appointment, which was formally approved by King Charles III, came against the backdrop of what has been called the ‘modernisation’ of Eton under headmaster Simon Henderson. Dubbed ‘Trendy Hendy’ by the tabloids, Henderson has been publicly criticised by some for pursuing a ‘woke’ agenda and has faced calls for his resignation over a number of decisions, including the sacking of a ‘beak’ (teacher) who refused to remove a lecture on ‘The Patriarchy Paradox’ from his YouTube channel. The dispute was leapt upon by the press and framed by some as a battle for freedom of thought and expression. 

Sir Nicholas’s first year in the role was marked by the Labour government’s controversial removal of VAT exemption on independent school fees; the school expressed its disappointment in the government’s decision and warned of increased fees in the future as a result.

Sir Nicholas began his career as a journalist and was for 30 years successively editorial director, managing director, president and chair of Condé Nast International, the global publishing house whose stable of magazines includes Vogue, GQ and Tatler. Previously chair of the Victoria & Albert Museum, Coleridge is now chair of the Historic Royal Palaces and was co-chair of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant. He was knighted in 2022 for services to museums, publishing and the creative industries.

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