Henry Conway (born 1983) is an English socialite, party promoter, author and fashion journalist, occasionally

self-styled A style of office or form of address, also called manner of address, is an official or legally recognized form of address for a person or other entity (such as a government or company), and may often be used in conjunction with a personal title. ...

as "Queen Sloane". He came to the attention of the press in January 2008 as a result of a scandal involving his father, former Conservative MP

Derek Conway Derek Leslie Conway TD (born 15 February 1953) is an English politician and television presenter. A member of the Conservative Party, Conway served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency of Shrewsbury and Atcham from 1983 to 1997, ...

.Woodward, Will
"MP faces suspension over payments to son"
''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' (29 January 2008))

Derek Conway investigation

Derek Conway was suspended from the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

after the

Committee on Standards and Privileges The Standards and Privileges Committee is a former committee of the United Kingdom House of Commons that existed from 1995 to 2013. The committee was established in 1995 to replace the earlier Committee of Privileges. It consisted of 10 Members of ...

reported that the MP had misused taxpayers' money by paying his younger son Frederick (Freddie) as a research assistant even though there was no record of his work.Summers, Deborah
"Conway suspended from Commons over expenses row"
''

'' (31 January 2008). Derek Conway maintained that both sons did work as research assistants and that the lack of records in respect of Freddie was merely a result of administrative shortcomings."Tory whip withdrawn from Conway"

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...

(29 January 2008). Retrieved on 29 July 2008. After receiving a complaint, John Lyon, the

Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards is an officer of the British House of Commons. The work of the officer is overseen by the Commons Select Committee on Standards. The current commissioner is Kathryn Stone. Duties The commissioner is i ...

, announced in February 2008 that he would investigate whether or not Henry's employment was also in breach of normal protocol. The investigation was completed the following year, when it was concluded that Henry was overpaid for the work he did as a research assistant. Henry continued to be associated with the scandal for years afterwards.

Career

Party promoter

Conway is mainly known as the organiser of Thursday nights at the nightclub

Mahiki Mahiki is a London nightclub and bar in Dover Street, just off Piccadilly, near the Ritz Hotel, well known for its celebrity clientele. It is named after the Polynesian path to the underworld. Mahiki was opened in October 2006 by Piers Adam an ...

. In 2008 he was also organiser of Wednesday nights at the London branch of

Bungalow 8 Bungalow 8 was an exclusive nightclub chain with locations in Manhattan's West Side, London's West End, and Amsterdam's nightlife neighborhood Leidseplein. The New York location in particular was popular with celebrities in the early 2000s. Frequ ...

and Friday nights at Maya in

Soho Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was develop ...

, and was signed as a promoter for Whiskey Mist, which opened in June 2008.Deedes, Henry
"Hooray Henry! Loving the limelight"
''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' (8 May 2008).Ross, Deborah
"Hooray for Henry: The curious world of Henry Conway"
''

(5 July 2008). In July 2008 he presided over the launch of Mahiki's own brand of

rum Rum is a liquor made by fermenting and then distilling sugarcane molasses or sugarcane juice. The distillate, a clear liquid, is usually aged in oak barrels. Rum is produced in nearly every sugar-producing region of the world, such as the Phili ...

. In November 2007, he held a party with the theme "Fuck Off I'm Rich". After the 2008 scandal broke, "Fuck Off I'm Rich" was frequently mentioned in articles about the Conways.Freeman, Hadley
"Meet Queen Sloane, the disgraced MP's son with a taste for fashion"
''

'' (31 January 2008). It received attention when ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...

'' published a copy of Conway's invitation in the wake of the parliamentary payment scandal in January 2008.Winnett, Robert
"Henry Conway, the 'Queen Sloane'"
''

'' (30 January 2008). It is typically used as an example of snobbery and decadence, with the Canadian ''

National Post The ''National Post'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet newspaper available in several cities in central and western Canada. The paper is the flagship publication of Postmedia Network and is published Mondays through Saturdays, with ...

'' saying "if there ever was a burgeoning meritocracy in Britain, surely it died the night Conway threw a party he called 'Fuck Off I'm Rich.'"Himelfarb, Ellen
"Celebrity Spawn"
''

'' (12 July 2008). Other papers took a lighter view of the party, with ''

'' calling it "undoubtedly magical" and saying sarcastically "everything about that sounds tempting, does it not?". Several years afterwards, in 2012,

Marina Hyde Marina Hyde (born Marina Elizabeth Catherine Dudley-Williams; 13 May 1974) is an English journalist. She joined ''The Guardian'' newspaper in 2000 and, as one of the newspaper's columnists, writes three articles each week on current affairs, cele ...

described Conway's party as "legendary", cynically comparing it to the excesses that predated the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

.Hyde, Marina
If Pippa's Parisian misadventure was a film, it could only be Dangerous Liaisons
19 April 2012. Accessed 22 April 2012. Conway was interviewed by the journalist, Richard Godwin, for a 2011 article about the clubbing scene in

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

.Godwin, Richard
The Hooray Henrys bringing chaos to the King's Road
27 April 2011. Accessed 22 April 2012 He continues to organise events and club nights, such as a major Alice in Wonderland-themed club night for New Year's Eve 2011, held at the Sanderson in London.

Journalism

Conway has written fashion columns for ''Super Super'' magazine (2010). His column, "Conway Confidential", was syndicated to the ten London magazines published by

Archant Archant Limited is a newspaper and magazine publishing company headquartered in Norwich, England. The group publishes four daily newspapers, around 50 weekly newspapers, and 80 consumer and contract magazines. Archant employs around 1,250 empl ...

(including ''The Resident'', ''The Hill'' and ''The Grove''). In 2011, Conway was among the fashion commentators approached by ''The Telegraph'' to assess

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge Catherine, Princess of Wales, (born Catherine Elizabeth Middleton; 9 January 1982) is a member of the British royal family. She is married to William, Prince of Wales, heir apparent to the British throne, making Catherine the likely next ...

's Ascot outfit for 2011.Greene, Lucie
"Kate Middleton's rules for dressing for the races"
8 June 2011, accessed 22 April 2012

Television

Conway has also acted as a fashion

pundit A pundit is a person who offers mass media opinion or commentary on a particular subject area (most typically politics, the social sciences, technology or sport). Origins The term originates from the Sanskrit term ('' '' ), meaning "knowledg ...

for television programmes, including the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

's ''

Newsnight Review ''The Review Show'' was a British discussion programme dedicated to the arts which ran, under several titles, from 1994 to 2014. The programme featured a panel of guests who reviewed developments in the world of the arts and culture. History '' ...

''.Widdicombe, Ben
The Originals , Henry Conway
23 March 2010. Accessed 22 April 2012 Other television programmes he has appeared on include ''

Twiggy Dame Lesley Lawson (''née'' Hornby; born 19 September 1949) is an English model, actress, and singer, widely known by the nickname Twiggy. She was a British cultural icon and a prominent teenaged model during the swinging '60s in London. ...

's Frock Exchange'', the BBC series ''British Style Genius'', and

Living Living or The Living may refer to: Common meanings *Life, a condition that distinguishes organisms from inorganic objects and dead organisms ** Living species, one that is not extinct *Personal life, the course of an individual human's life * Hu ...

's ''The Truth About Beauty''. He is a regular co-presenter on

Five 5 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 5, five or number 5 may also refer to: * AD 5, the fifth year of the AD era * 5 BC, the fifth year before the AD era Literature * ''5'' (visual novel), a 2008 visual novel by Ram * ''5'' (comics), an awa ...

's '' Vanessa Show'' and also appeared on Five's ''

Live from Studio Five ''Live from Studio Five'' was an early-evening British magazine programme produced by Sky News for Channel 5. It was presented by Kate Walsh and a lineup of co-presenters. It featured interviews and discussions on topical issues, emphasizing sh ...

''. In early 2012 he launched a new makeover show on

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

, ''Vera Wang Princess Super Sweet Party''. In January 2014, he was a contestant in the

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

show The Jump. He competed in the Men's Giant Slalom in the first show and placed 4th with 47.77. Later, Conway sustained an injury to his hand during the training session for the skeleton competition which aired on 28 January 2014 and, subsequently, was forced to retire after seeking medical advice.

Style and social life

Conway's flamboyant personality, colourful social life and outrageous outfits were widely reported throughout 2008, such as when he wore a

corset A corset is a support garment commonly worn to hold and train the torso into a desired shape, traditionally a smaller waist or larger bottom, for aesthetic or medical purposes (either for the duration of wearing it or with a more lasting effe ...

for photos accompanying his profile in the June 2008 edition of ''

Tatler ''Tatler'' is a British magazine published by Condé Nast Publications focusing on fashion and lifestyle, as well as coverage of high society and politics. It is targeted towards the British upper-middle class and upper class, and those interes ...

''.Singh, Anita
"Henry Conway poses for 'provocative' pictures"
''

'' (6 May 2008). Deborah Ross, of ''

'', described Conway as "deliciously committed to fashion" citing his wearing of ruffled

cravat Cravat, cravate or cravats may refer to: * Cravat (early), forerunner neckband of the modern necktie * Cravat, British name for what in American English is called an ascot tie * Cravat bandage, a triangular bandage * Cravat (horse) (1935–1954), a ...

s and sequined

peacock Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera ''Pavo (genus), Pavo'' and ''Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female pea ...

-feather headdresses as examples. Jonathan Brown, also of ''The Independent'', described him as "a dandy, always flamboyantly dressed."Brown, Jonathan
"Those Conway boys: Brothers at the heart of a scandal"
''

'' (31 January 2008). Hadley Freeman of ''The Guardian'' sarcastically wrote that "It's a rare pleasure to encounter a person in the real world who appears to have stepped straight out of a novel, but such is the gift that Henry Conway ... brings into our lives." In 2009, Conway made it into the number 12 slot of ''British GQ''s Top 20 Worst-Dressed Men 2009, for "going way past the mark of being too flamboyant". Reports sometimes note Conway's chosen styling: "Queen Sloane", an apparent reference to the term "

Sloane Ranger In the United Kingdom, a Sloane Ranger, or simply a Sloane, is a stereotypical upper-middle or upper-class person, typically although not necessarily a young one, who embodies a very particular upbringing and outlook. The Sloane Ranger style is ...

" and the posh of

Sloane Square Sloane Square is a small hard-landscaped square on the boundaries of the central London districts of Belgravia and Chelsea, located southwest of Charing Cross, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. The area forms a boundary betwe ...

."Henry Conway, the 'Queen Sloane'"
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Conway, Henry 1983 births People educated at Harrow School Alumni of the University of Cambridge English fashion journalists Living people English LGBT writers Alumni of the Courtauld Institute of Art English socialites English male non-fiction writers