Ever since the early days of MySpace (launched in 2003), Facebook (2004) and Bebo (2005), magazines not unlike this one have been declaring the world utterly transformed by social media.
More than a quarter of a century on, I did pause to wonder whether there was really any merit in adding another to the pile. And yet here we are, in the middle of 2026, with a cover story in a similar mould.
The feature is a little different from many of the others to have gone before it, however, because the world we cover here at Spear’s has held out so long. While practically every other demi-monde, sub-culture or specialist field was long ago ravaged by hordes of influencers, the rarefied reaches of the lesser-spotted UHNW had, for so long, remained out of bounds. Then something changed.
[See also: Welcome to Scarsdale, New York – America’s wealthiest suburb]
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Just what that was and who managed to exploit it is masterfully (and humorously) captured by Joseph Bullmore, where his words are accompanied by a stunning collage from Spear’s debutant Paper Draper.
Elsewhere in this edition – the 99th in Spear’s history – we lift the lid on ‘the biggest company you’ve never heard of’ with the help of Christopher M. Davidson. His upcoming book about IHC is in large part the story of the man who controls it – the increasingly influential brother of Abu Dhabi ruler Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Sheikh Tahnoun.
Then, Rupert Neate takes a closer look at California’s luxury surrogacy boom. Since, in the UK, it is illegal to pay anything other than expenses to a surrogate, many wealthy British couples are heading west to discover a brave new world of donor profiles and FedEx deliveries of chilled breast milk.
[See also: Who is Matt Mahan, the California governor hopeful backed by tech billionaires?]
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Speaking of which (sort of), our Liquid Lunch this time is with former F1 world champion Nico Rosberg, who is now harnessing the power of his considerable network to connect European family offices with Silicon Valley’s most exclusive and illusive investment opportunities.
Hot on his heels is another Teutonic high-achiever, in the form of David von Rosen. As I learned when I went to visit him in Verbier, the serial entrepreneur struck it big with an online gambling platform called Lottoland and, still in his forties, has joined the ranks of the world’s billionaires. But he’s not ready to cash in his chips just yet. A new phase of life – filled with adrenaline-heavy sports and bold investments made via his family office – awaits.
Meanwhile, former adland CEO and BBC bigwig Gail Gallie talks philanthropy, and her ambition to do for the environment what the Met Gala has done for fashion. (Bonus points for the affectionate mickey-taking of her dear friend Richard Curtis.) Royal photographer Hugo Burnand reveals some of the secrets of his storied career. And our Midas interview is skincare entrepreneur and hotel empire scion, Irene Forte.
The Briefing section focuses on wealth management, with the results of our regular survey; a deep dive into succession planning for family business, courtesy of the co-founder of the $3 billion market cap MFO, Cresset; the lowdown on the Berne Agreement; the inside track on a hot alternative asset class; and a first look at Abu Dhabi’s first homegrown hedge fund.
Arcadia is stuffed to the gunnels with brilliant writing about interesting things – from Mayfair’s hottest street, to Bordeaux’s hottest grape and this year’s hottest book.
And, as ever, there’s plenty more that you’ll just have to find for yourself.
I hope you enjoy the magazine.
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