LONDON — Does Tatler’s Richard Dennen have the best edit job at Condé Nast?

He’s in a rare position at the publisher’s U.K. offices as he’s still an editor, rather than a “head of editorial content,” while Tatler remains a stand-alone magazine compared with the other Condé titles, which share content across brands and regions.

He still answers to Anna Wintour, Condé’s chief content officer but, in Dennen’s eyes, that’s a plus.

“She’s the most incredible contributing editor any magazine could have, always suggesting interesting, helpful ideas,” he said during an interview at The Adelphi, Condé’s new headquarters near The Strand, where the publisher moved last year after leaving its historic home at Vogue House in Hanover Square off Regent Street.

In addition to being a diplomat, Dennen is also a survivor. He’s been at the helm of Tatler for seven years, and is the last, old-time Condé editor standing in London. Insiders refer to him as “the dauphin” because of his staying power, high status within Condé and bold choice to broaden the title’s reach beyond the horsey, land-owning classes and into territory once considered taboo.

The high-energy Dennen does it all with an upbeat attitude, a breezy charm and an endearing dose of neurosis, much like a Woody Allen character. With his floppy hair, self-deprecating humor and enduring curiosity about the lives of the rich, powerful and well-connected, he’s the most democratic and inclusive of recent Tatler editors.

His September issue, set to be unveiled today, features the pop star and actor Olly Alexander on the cover decked in an Alexander McQueen suit and Tiffany & Co. brooch. Dennen said he was excited to diverge from the usual September fashion cover “and celebrate a queer icon.”

Alexander will be making his West End debut in September, playing Algernon Moncrieff in “The Importance of Being Earnest,” and Dennen has cooked up “an 18th-century mash-up of Oscar Wilde-meets-a-deconstructed, Dickensian John Galliano” style shoot. There’s also an interview and a timeline of the singer’s career with the headline “Alexander Technique.”

The issue includes a “Dynasty Files” story on Anna and Michael Murray, daughter and son-in-law of the billionaire retail bargain-hunter Mike Ashley, and a feature on the new, American money that’s been pouring into the Vatican since the arrival of Pope Leo XIV.

Called “New Money for Old Pope,” the story about Catholic power would once have been met with charges of high treason in England.

Although Dennen’s Tatler is more inclusive than in the past, there’s still great affection for the old guard.

The main fashion shoot is lavish, and inspired by the upcoming “Marie Antoinette Style” exhibition at the Victoria and Albert museum, with lots of 18th-century swagger, cocked Napoleonic hats, towering hairstyles and poet’s blouses. There’s also an exotic, spiritually inspired travel story by Amanda Harlech, and a feature on the London-based Nigerian “It” girl Florence “Cuppy” Otedola.

The mash-up of old and new, establishment and not, is a reflection of Dennen, who’s a newsman at heart.

Before joining Tatler, he was a features writer at large at the Mail on Sunday, the weekend edition of Britain’s Daily Mail, a style writer for The Sunday Times and a columnist at the Evening Standard, now known as The London Standard.  

Before joining newspapers, he worked at Tatler for six years under Isabella Blow, who was then fashion director of the title.

He was at St. Andrews University at the same time as Kate Middleton and Prince William, and is used to looking at life through a wide-angle lens thanks to his own diverse background.

His mother hails from a posh Scottish family, while his father is an American from Beverly Hills who converted from Judaism, and is now an archdeacon in the Anglican Church.       

From the get-go, Dennen wanted Tatler to be a “modern, culturally relevant and a day-to-day snapshot of our times.” He put the focus on tastemakers, newsmakers and generally fabulous people.

He was also careful to preserve the title’s mystique, deploying Tatler’s well-connected staff, and wider network, to cover social moments and trends to create what he refers to as the “bible of the global jetset.”

The mix of aspirational and inspirational has kept Tatler’s numbers humming. The magazine still publishes 12 issues year, plus six supplements on topics such as travel, spas, fine jewelry and cosmetic surgery.

Tatler.com is more immediate, with wedding, engagement and baby news from all the lords and ladies up and down the country, as well as celebrity updates, including an inside look at the Cotswolds wedding of Eve Jobs and Harry Charles last weekend.

Commercial revenue this year is up 26 percent, while Tatler’s social media impressions have risen 40 percent year-over-year.

According to the Audit Bureau of Circulation, Tatler had an average monthly circulation of 72,351 in 2024, around 8 percent down on the previous year. The number of paid subscriptions rose nearly 30 percent to 25,054 in 2024, with around half of print issues actively purchased in the U.K. and Ireland.   

Dennen is undaunted by social media competitors such as TikTok, and said his priority will always be to produce “quality” stories, regardless of the platform.

“Who knows what the next social media app will be, or the next platform? If you’re running something as old and as special as Tatler, which started the newspaper that published three times a week in 1709, I think it’s interesting to think what it can look like on TikTok — or whatever comes next,” said Dennen.

One advance he’s not worried about is AI. “Most human beings can’t get into the events that we cover,” never mind the bots, he said.

He said what gives him the biggest kick is “showing that the golden age of media is not over. It’s really exciting to create things in a new way, and to prove it is possible to drive a business with high-quality content.”

So, will the dauphin fulfil what some might consider his destiny, move to New York, and become head of editorial content for American Vogue? It wouldn’t be such a big leap. He’d still report to Wintour, who remains Vogue’s global editorial director.  

He demurs. “I’m really happy with what we’re doing, and I think the Tatler office is fun,” said Dennen, who finds it thrilling that his staff is always out “doing fabulous stories and meeting fabulous people. The energy in the office is great, and I think I’m so lucky because Tatler is a whole lifestyle.”

He added: “Of course, fashion is important, but I love all the other things at Tatler, like the features and newsy scoops that we’re able to provide.”

It looks like the best edit job at Condé won’t be vacant any time soon.