The Duchess of Sussex served as guest editor for the September issue of British Vogue. The news was announced Sunday in Instagram posts by both the magazine and the official account of Markle and Prince Harry that revealed the issue was named “Forces for Change.”
“For the past seven months, the duchess has curated the content with British Vogue’s editor-in-chief Edward Enninful to create an issue that highlights the power of the collective,” the royals’ post read.
Included in the issue is an interview between Markle and former First Lady Michelle Obama and a conversation between Markle and Dr. Jane Goodall, along with articles by Brené Brown and Jameela Jamil.
The cover itself features photos of 15 high-profile women from various walks of life, including actresses Gemma Chan, Laverne Cox, Jane Fonda, Salma Hayek, Jamil and Yara Shahidi along with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Royal Ballet principal dancer Francesca Hayward, model and maternal health advocate Christy Turlington and more.
“For the cover, the Duchess chose a diverse selection of women from all walks of life, each driving impact and raising the bar for equality, kindness, justice and open mindedness. The 16th space on the cover, a mirror, was included so that when you hold the issue in your hands, you see yourself as part of this collective.” British Vogue noted that Markle is the first guest editor of the all-important September issue in 103-year history of the magazine.
“Guest editing the September issue of British Vogue has been rewarding, educational and inspiring,” Markle said in the Instagram post. “To deep dive into this process, working quietly behind the scenes for so many months, I am happy to now be able to share what we have created.”
In a post on British Vogue’s website, Enninful said that there was a conversation with Markle about including her on the cover, but she ultimately decided she did not want to be included.
“As you will see from her selections throughout this magazine, she is also willing to wade into more complex and nuanced areas, whether they concern female empowerment, mental health, race or privilege,” Enninful said. “From the very beginning, we talked about the cover — whether she would be on it or not. In the end, she felt that it would be in some ways a ‘boastful’ thing to do for this particular project. She wanted, instead, to focus on the women she admires.”
