Combining a mix of society's last word and both wit and wisdom, The Steeple Times covers food, drink and fine dining as well as luxury, travel, the arts, individuals of influence and current affairs in the United Kingdom, America and elsewhere. We are best described as being akin to "a cross between The Huffington Post and Private Eye".
The magazine's following is affluent, engaged and international. With 41% of readers coming from the UK and 38% from America, The Steeple Times also has strong presence within Canadian, Italian, German and Australian territories.
February 26, 2020
by Matthew Steeples
As a shop selling “bringing back the royalty of [Arabia] home” opens in Knightsbridge, we ask: “Whatever next?” Beauchamp Place, Knightsbridge used to be the street where you’d find Bill Bentley’s and a pub owned by some Rolls-Royce driving gangsters who (probably falsely) claimed they owned Marble Arch. Both are long gone, but now, this … Continue reading “The New ‘Knights’ of Knightsbridge”
December 26, 2018
by Matthew Steeples
Should there be a blue plaque in honour of the controversial explorer Gertrude Bell in Cadogan Square in spite of the fact she did not actually “live” there? Today, in The Guardian, arts correspondent Mark Brown reported on the controversy that has arisen as a result of English Heritage deciding it appropriate to approve … Continue reading “Gertrude Bell did NOT live here”
October 22, 2018
by Matthew Steeples
Clangers overheard and snippets spotted by readers of ‘The Steeple Times’ Mobile Arabs An Arab sat outside a shisha café on Brompton Road told her friend: “I lost my phone in Harrods today but I went back and they’d found it. Thank God it was Harrods. They’d have been so racist anywhere else but … Continue reading “Overheard – 22nd October 2018”
August 22, 2018
by Matthew Steeples
As Knightsbridge’s Brompton Road is invaded by Arabs, The Steeple Times finds that there is both good and bad in their number Last night, it was a party of two halves on Knightsbridge’s Brompton Road. At one end, close to the Caramel restaurant, a gaggle of vulgar Chanel handbag wielding Arab women (pictured … Continue reading “The Arab Arrival”
February 18, 2018
by Matthew Steeples
London has simply become a money park for dodgy money and though ‘McMafia’ reflected elements of that, the truth is far more depressing Since the 1st January, the nation was engrossed (though many were also totally bored) by the BBC’s eight-part drama series McMafia. Based on a fictional – though plainly inspired by … Continue reading “McMoneya”
July 16, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
As Arabs descend on London with their eccentric convoys of cars, we select a new arrival; such things delight some and infuriate others The time of year is upon Knightsbridge when Arabs and their supercars descend. Amongst them come exotically coloured Bentleys, Bugattis, Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Rolls-Royces, but one new arrival this season is … Continue reading “Limited in Knightsbridge”
July 12, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Thrice bankrupt bigot Viscount St Davids banged to rights and set to be jailed Thursday; he blames Gina Miller as “untruthful” and Matthew Steeples as “an eavesdropper” and accepts utterly no blame for what he did On Thursday, if he doesn’t turn up at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on time, justice will come knock, knock, … Continue reading “Viscount Porridge”
June 8, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Gargantuan Mayfair aprtment goes on sale for £30 million; it has eighteen windows facing Hyde Park and is in a building designed by the architect of Broadcasting House A vast maisonette, described as a “villa in the sky”, on London’s Park Lane has gone on sale for £30 million ($38.8 million, €34.6 million or … Continue reading “A Villa In The Sky”
by Matthew Steeples
London estate agents launch three properties priced over £25 million each on General Election day Pundits may be referencing worrying times ahead in Britain’s post-Brexit economy, but London’s top tier estate agents have come out all guns blazing on General Election day and launched a series of jaw droppingly priced properties. In Knightsbridge’s … Continue reading “Flop or Fly?”
May 10, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Trophy house with a “dictator interior” in The Boltons has nearly £10 million sliced off its asking price; iceberg home behind reduced by £5 million A house in London’s second most expensive street has returned to the market at the much reduced price of £30 million ($38.8 million, €35.5 million or درهم142.6 million) in … Continue reading “Rich Pickings”
March 12, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Vast Knightsbridge penthouse with two terraces and a double garage for sale for a sum 478% higher than it achieved in 2000 A penthouse across three buildings in Knightsbridge that sold for £5.1 million (the equivalent of £7.9 million, $9.6 million, €9 million or درهم 35.3 million today) in November 2000 has gone on … Continue reading “Large in Lowndes”
September 18, 2016
by Matthew Steeples
Highest penthouse in western hemisphere sells for £67.5 million On Friday, the property news site 6sqft reported that a Saudi billionaire had just paid £67.5 million ($87.7 million or €78.6 million) for a New York penthouse at 432 Park Avenue that is currently the highest of any in the western hemisphere. According to … Continue reading “Topping a sale”
July 19, 2016
by Matthew Steeples
Home Office immigration enforcement officials raid SW3 apartment block that counts actress Jacqueline Bisset amongst its residents A ritzy Chelsea apartment building that counts Bullitt star actress Jacqueline Bisset amongst its residents was raided by Home Office immigration enforcement officers on Friday last. Crompton Court on the corner of Brompton Road and Pelham … Continue reading “An SW3 raid”
April 25, 2016
by Matthew Steeples
Hampshire estate Hackwood Park goes on the open market for £65 million – making it one of most expensive country houses ever offered for sale in Britain
April 10, 2016
by Matthew Steeples
Uber driver spotted praying on a pavement in Knightsbridge
March 31, 2016
by General
A fan of gold coloured cars, Turki Bin Abdullah is a pint-sized Saudi Arabian equivalent of the porker James Stunt.
March 28, 2016
by Matthew Steeples
Gold cars appear to be all the rage with London’s visiting Arabs this season
March 26, 2016
by Matthew Steeples
Two extremely opulent ex-Sultan of Brunei Rolls-Royces offered for sale
March 20, 2016
by Matthew Steeples
The Steeple Times’ Matthew Steeples and ‘photographer to the stars’ John Stoddart review South Kensigton’s The Adria Hotel and are pleasantly surprised (despite the lack of alcohol)
March 17, 2016
by Matthew Steeples
Gold Rolls-Royce Phantom convertible hits the streets of London and illustrates a new level of vulgarity
October 31, 2015
by Matthew Steeples
As Amanda Clutterbuck and Ian Paton lose their attempt to reclaim £14 million worth of Kensington and Chelsea properties that they signed over to the ‘Vamp in the Veil’ Sara Al Amoudi, we suggest all three are nothing but tawdry
September 2, 2015
by Matthew Steeples
Matthew Steeples laments the loss of one of what once set London apart: Manners and gentlemen
June 30, 2015
by Matthew Steeples
Most expensive house to be publicly offered for sale in the UK to be stripped of everything including the kitchen sink
June 17, 2015
by General
The second son of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai
March 12, 2015
by General
At the age of 22 in March 2015 this Saudi playboy and wannabe member of the Rich Kids of Instagram was convicted of driving whilst unfit through drugs and fined £400.
December 30, 2014
by General
Brown and Yale educated Nathan Goralnik joined Quinn Emmanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP’s New York office in 2012
September 23, 2014
by General
The twice married daughter of the actress Rita Heyworth and Prince Aly Khan was married to the Greek economist and shipping heir Basil Embiricos between 1985 and 1987. Princess Yasmin Aga Khan was born in Lausanne, Switzerland and educated in Massachusetts and Geneva. She has become renowned for raising awareness of Alzheimer’s disease through her … Continue reading “Princess Yasmin Aga Khan”
by Matthew Steeples
Russian student spends £20,000 covering her £25,000 Mercedes in Swarovski crystals and then wonders why she is mocked
September 13, 2014
by Matthew Steeples
Aston Martin to launch a new ‘super-sedan’ (but only to an elite few)
September 2, 2014
by Matthew Steeples
This “famed show jumper” began riding at the age of three and competed at the 2010 World Championships aged just 19. He was fourth in the 2011 Pan Arab Games team event with Valentino Balia and hosted the British Polo Day in Abu Dhabi in March 2014. Sheikh Shakhboot aims to represent his nation at the … Continue reading “His Highness Sheikh Shakhboot Bin Nahyan Al Nahyan”
September 1, 2014
by Matthew Steeples
Three Arabic men decide to enjoy a spot of shisha on the A4 as Cara Delevingne looks on The ‘Ramadan Rush’ is nearly over but in spotting the image that we make our Picture of the Week, Monika Agata Maron truly captured how ridiculous Knightsbridge has become during this period.
August 25, 2014
by Matthew Steeples
Former Brunei royal household Bentley Turbo ‘S’ heads to auction just as Kim Kardashian lifts her boycott of The Beverly Hills Hotel The Sultan of Brunei might be worth £12 billion but he certainly isn’t a popular man right now. As the boycott of his hotels – including The Dorchester in London and Coworth … Continue reading “A future classic”
August 22, 2014
by Matthew Steeples
UAE issues map telling their citizens of which areas of London to avoid Supercar hating busybody Panda Morgan-Thomas will be delighted. The UAE have issued a “map of the dangerous areas of London” and it includes Knightsbridge.
August 19, 2014
August 8, 2014
May 9, 2014
April 11, 2014
by Matthew Steeples
Season for rich Arabs to parade in London has begun The time has arrived; the annual invasion has begun. The streets of Belgravia, Knightsbridge and Mayfair have been taken over by Arabs and each year they come earlier and earlier.
by Matthew Steeples
A bisexual conman, thief and serial killer who targeted the aristocracy. Hall was born in Glasgow and took elocution lessons during his first of many stints in jail. He variously pretended to be an Arab sheikh, a Lord and Sir George Aylwen and claimed to have had affairs with Lord Boothby and the playwright Terence … Continue reading “Archibald Hall (AKA Archibald Thomson-Hall, Roy Fontaine, the Killer Butler and the Monster Butler, 1924 – 2002)”
April 9, 2014
by Matthew Steeples
Lamborghini LM 002 4×4 heads to auction The Lamborghini loving Arabs who frequent Sloane Street could save themselves from having to purchase a Range Rover for their entourage by bidding on a baby blue Lamborghini LM 002 at Bonhams’ 28th April sale at London’s RAF Museum at Hendon.
April 7, 2014
October 2, 2013
by Matthew Steeples
Pontus Maltborg examines the changing face of France’s Ligue 1 The French football Ligue 1 has long been the league of the many and of unpredictability as it has had 6 different champions during the last 6 years and lacked real established hierarchy. This is however drastically changing as the French league is now … Continue reading “La revolution reverse”
August 22, 2013
by Matthew Steeples
A one off Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupé available only in Abu Dhabi We recently featured a special edition Bentley Mulsanne created in honour of the 90th anniversary of the first Le Mans 24 Hours race. With the announcement of a one-off Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupé, we thus thought it timely to feature it too.
August 16, 2013
by Matthew Steeples
21st century gauche replaces 20th century elegance A hidden enclave opposite the V&A museum in South Kensington was home to two of the twentieth century’s most fascinating individuals. London club owner and arbiter of good taste Mark Birley lived at Thurloe Lodge for nearly thirty years until his death in 2007 and for a … Continue reading “All hail vulgarity”
August 15, 2013
by Matthew Steeples
This Ugandan-born journalist is a self-confessed racist who loathes “white, middle class men”, yet describes herself as being a “leftie liberal, anti-racist, feminist, Muslim, part-Pakistani, and … a very responsible person”. She believes Osama bin Laden didn’t get a “respectful burial” and asked: “Why does anyone black, Asian or Arab ever vote Tory?” on Twitter … Continue reading “Yasmin Alibhai-Brown (born Yasmin Damji)”
April 26, 2013
by Matthew Steeples
This Dubai born poet, actor and photographer was expelled from Saudi Arabia in April 2013 by the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vices for being “too sexy”. He has over 175,000 fans on his Facebook page and of women he states: “The beauty of a woman must be seen from in … Continue reading “Omar Borkan Al Gala”
April 22, 2013
by Matthew Steeples
The world’s most expensive registration plate comes to London The world’s most expensive registration plate is currently gracing the streets of London on a dark red Rolls-Royce Phantom.
March 12, 2013
by Matthew Steeples
The Steeple Times asks emerging market investor David Reuben Jr: “What’s on your mantelpiece?” The Steeple Times shares “wit and wisdom”. What’s your guiding force? I try to follow the “Golden Rule”. Treat others the way you would prefer that they treat you. Be careful how you are with people on your way up, … Continue reading “David Reuben Jr: “What’s on your mantelpiece?””
March 8, 2013
by Matthew Steeples
Ranked as “the most influential Arab in the world”, Al-Waleed has at various times held investments in News Corp, AOL, Apple Inc., Motorola, Fox News, Eastman Kodak, TWA, Twitter, The Savoy, the Four Seasons hotel chain and Euro Disney SCA. Not afraid to back his beliefs financially, the “Buffett of Arabia” gave £18.5 million to … Continue reading “Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal”
November 24, 2012
by Matthew Steeples
If one spent $2,000,000 on cosmetic surgery, one would expect to end up looking fantastic. It didn’t quite work out in the case of the billionairess “Bride of Wildenstein,” though, as instead she discovered the husband she thought she’d please in bed with a 19-year old Russian. Feline like in appearance, the purr of this … Continue reading “Jocelyn Wildenstein (née Périsset and also known as “Jocelynnys Dayannnys da Silva Bezerra”)”
November 15, 2012
by Matthew Steeples
This mouthpiece was born in Rettendon, Essex in 1958 and vents bile on all manner of subjects. Articles such as: “Why don’t more women moan like me?” and “Liz Jones’ baby craving drove her to steal husband’s sperm in ultimate deception” are frankly illustrative of why she’s so unpopular. After she got banned from the … Continue reading “Liz Jones”
November 12, 2012
by Matthew Steeples
Matthew Steeples examines the truth behind Liz Jones giving up on her “rural idyll” The Mail’s Liz Jones is a waspish woman who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. Those who’ve paid even a moment’s attention to her bleating, will be familiar with lines such as: “Last week, my brand … Continue reading “The battleaxe in the Beemer”
November 11, 2012
by Matthew Steeples
Could the number 13 be the reason Halcyon Hall has failed to sell? Several over the top Californian residences we’ve featured on The Steeple Times, namely the $40,000,000 Chateau d’Or in Bel Air and the $87,000,000 Villa del Lago on the Newport coast, were properties that have seen huge price reductions. Though $15,000,000 has … Continue reading “Which bear will take the 13th seat?”
November 5, 2012
by Matthew Steeples
Matthew Steeples explores the story of an empty Kensington mansion A multi-million pound 8-bedroomed house in Kensington isn’t anything unusual. In fact, rather, they’re ten a penny. In this, one of the wealthiest boroughs in the land, large, expensive homes are just the norm. No. 1 Campden Hill, which is being marketed for … Continue reading “Boujis in the basement?”
October 23, 2012
by The Tout
The Tout says a fond farewell to Frankel It must have taken some restraint from Sir Henry Cecil, the trainer of many of the greatest horses of the last 40 years, to wait until after Frankel’s last race on Saturday to state: “Frankel is the best I have trained, the best I have seen … Continue reading “Frankel: The Best”
October 14, 2012
by Matthew Steeples
A £26 million residence with connections to rock, royalty and rectors Built in the early 1500s, The Old Rectory is Wimbledon’s oldest house. Standing in grounds of 2.5 acres, this 16,200 square foot property was once described by a biographer of Sir Henry Cecil as being “not luxurious, but adequate” but now once again … Continue reading “Rocking with royalty”
October 12, 2012
by Matthew Steeples
Christian Huhnt recounts an evening at the launch of La Suite West I have a personal connection to Inverness Terrace as twice in my life I’ve had to crash at my friend’s place there. It’s less than a minute from the new Anouska Hempel-designed hotel, La Suite West, and runs parallel to Queensway. … Continue reading “The bogs of Bayswater”
October 4, 2012
by Matthew Steeples
Who would have imagined seeing a Phantom and a Mulsanne drag racing? In London, people do strange things with supercars. Arabs like His Highness Sheikh Rashid Bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, aged 28, don’t bother to insure their wrapped orange £230,000 Ferrari FF’s and find them impounded by the Metropolitan Police whilst Iraqi playboys race … Continue reading “Picture of the Week: Drag in luxury”
September 28, 2012
by Matthew Steeples
The case of a Ferrari FF driver with more money than sense Last November, on my way to a lunch at The Stafford Hotel with The Steeple Times restaurant critic, Anthony Brown, I took a photograph of one of my favourite vehicles, a Ferrari FF, in Curzon Street, W1. Emblazoned with a Westminster … Continue reading “Ferrari’s ‘F’lipping ‘F’ool”
