The hot auctioneer turning heads and banging a gavel: How Harrow-educated 40-year-old has become the ‘crush of the international art-world’ thanks to his ‘Prince Charming looks’

Forget movie stars and models – a very handsome luxury auctioneer has been dubbed the newest heartthrob on the international art scene. 

Henry Highley was recently named one of the Top 100 Sexiest Londoners for 2025, and it’s not hard to see why.

The 40-year-old has been sending hearts racing and not just for his eight-figure sales, but his undeniable charisma and ‘Prince Charming’ like looks. 

With his chiselled jawline, windswept locks, suave demeanour and quintessentially British accent, Henry is making waves on the art scene as Principal Auctioneer and Head of Private Sales in Europe at Phillips, one of the world’s three major art auction houses. 

His social media presence is scarce, with just over 4,000 followers on Instagram, but his comment sections are still filled with fire and heart-eye emojis. 

Armed with a gavel, he called his ‘sidekick’, gifted to him by his father, Henry owns the rostrum, having caught the attention of art lovers since he started auctioning over a decade ago. 

He likened his auction style to James Bond and admits his biggest fear is being ‘boring’. 

‘People think maybe you kind of jump up there, take it, it’s kind of smooth and easy,’ Henry said in a video posted to Phillips’ Instagram page.

‘There’s a little bit more work, practice and development as an auctioneer before you just jump up and do it.

‘I like to try and think [my style] is smooth and James Bond-esque, but Harry Potter is probably what most people would see me as.’

He’s modelled his fashion style off ‘classic English tailoring’ with a dash of casualness, sporting sleek blazers and trainers while on the job. 

The dapper auctioneer made this year’s Top 100 Sexiest Londoners list by The Standard alongside celebrities including Cara Delevingne, Romeo Beckham and Dua Lipa. 

His description read: ‘He is unquestionably handsome, with criminally great jaw structure and prince charming locks. Sold.’ 

Henry attended Harrow School, one of the UK’s most prestigious and expensive schools, before graduating from Newcastle University with a major in art history. 

He landed a job at Phillips straight out of university and impressively embarked on his first sale season in the midst of the Global Financial Crisis, solidifying himself as one of the youngest heavy hitters on the scene. 

Henry gradually rose through the ranks thanks to his determination and charm, sending hearts fluttering not just because of the tense bidding wars, but also his swoon-worthy manner. 

In 2018, he presided over an auction that saw a Picasso piece sell for a whopping £41million – the highest ever total for Phillips at the time. 

He has even developed some celebrity ties. Henry led the auction for the portrait ‘David Beckham: The Man’ for The David Beckham UNICEF Fund and UK charity Positive View Foundation in 2016.

As Henry’s sales grew, so did his reputation, having been featured across numerous art publications, including one from Fetch titled ‘Why is Henry Highley so Hot?‘. 

Author The Art Daddy claimed colleagues and acquaintances of Henry’s called him an ‘all-round nice guy’ and described him as ‘handsome and debonair as they come’. 

‘Younger than some of his other counterparts, Highley’s looks are definitely something that set him apart as well as his poise on the podium, and his charisma, which is apparent any time you see him,’ they wrote. 

‘In an unofficial poll done recently via my Instagram, which posed the question, ‘What is the hottest thing about Henry Highley?’ people answered with an overwhelming 50% to prince charming good looks/panty dropper status, 20% the perfect hair, 20% the accent, and 10% for his commanding auction presence.

The anonymous art commentator also made an ‘appreciation’ post on Instagram for the suave auctioneer, writing: ‘So many art world people think you’re a panty dropper and don’t ever change your British James Bond auction ways.’ 

Another interviewer for Mr Porter said ‘hotshot’ Henry had ‘cheekbones that could cut glass, a sweep of chestnut hair and a Mr Hugh Grant-esque RP accent’. 

Phillips often features their auctioneers on their social media accounts, and any posts that star Henry tend to attract interest from well outside the art world. 

‘YOU are gorgeous!! xx,’ one fan wrote and another said: ‘Beautiful and lovely’.

Henry’s career path was forged early in part thanks to being enamoured with an art auctioneer while out with his father, as well as a Harrow teacher who got him ‘hooked on art’. 

‘I actually walked into an auction as a boy with my father, and I saw this guy out there taking an auction,’ he recalled in a Phillips Instagram video.

‘This guy’s conducting to this theatre of collectors and specialists and on the phone bank, so I was like, ‘This looks epic’. I was kind of [wondering], ‘How I get to do that?’.’ 

With all the attention from both within and outside the art industry, Henry said his job made him ‘thick-skinned’.

He credited his auctioneer trainer for helping him fine-tune his James Bond auction style.

‘Preparation is key. I have an auction trainer who comes to London or New York to prepare me for the sale, and on the morning of it, we’ll sit down and go through the numerical side of things,’ he told Mr Porter.

‘That’s so important in getting your mind in the right gear.’