Meghan Markle Will Interview Michelle Obama as the Guest Editor of British Vogue
The Duchess of Sussex has long held passions for empowering women, writing, fashion and creating positive change. And now Meghan has brought all these things together as she has taken on the role of guest editor for the September issue of British Vogue.
Buckingham Palace announced this evening that the Duchess has been working on the issue, entitled "Forces for Change," for the last seven months. The palace said that the edition "features a collection of trailblazing changemakers, united by their fearlessness in breaking barriers." Highlights include a conversation between the Duchess of Sussex and former First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama.
Meghan also got husband Harry involved with the issue, which includes an interview between the prince and ethologist and primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall.
Despite her involvement, however, Meghan has not followed in the footsteps of the Duchess of Cambridge and Princess Diana by posing for the Vogue cover. Instead, the ‘Forces for Change’ cover features fifteen inspiring women alongside a sixteenth spot which is a mirror to include the reader and encourage them to use their own platforms to affect change.
The Duchess described working towards the issue as "a rewarding process, curating and collaborating with Edward Enninful, British Vogue’s Editor-in-Chief, to take the year’s most read fashion issue and steer its focus to the values, causes and people making impact in the world today."
She continued, "Through this lens I hope you’ll feel the strength of the collective in the diverse selection of women chosen for the cover as well as the team of support I called upon within the issue to help bring this to light. I hope readers feel as inspired as I do, by the 'Forces for Change' they’ll find within these pages."
The magazine features a previously unseen image of Meghan making a behind-the-scenes visit to the charity Smart Works, but it does not feature a photo shoot with the duchess and her family.
It is understood that Megan saw her guest editing role as an opportunity to further diversify what the Vogue September issue typically represents and to include more cause-related features and a focus on things like ethical and sustainable brands, and Commonwealth designers.
The fifteen women featured on the cover are:
Adwoa Aboah, Mental health campaigner and model
Adut Akech, Model and former refugee
Ramla Ali, Boxer
Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand
Sinead Burke, Diversity advocate and lecturer
Gemma Chan, Campaigner and actor
Laverne Cox, LGBTQIA+ advocate and actor
Jane Fonda, Campaigner and actor
Salma Hayek Pinault, Women’s rights advocate, actor and producer
Francesca Hayward, Royal Ballet principal dancer
Jameela Jamil, Body positivity advocate and actor
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Author
Yara Shahidi, Founder of Eighteen x 18 and actor
Greta Thunberg, Climate change campaigner and student
Christy Turlington Burns, Founder of Every Mother Counts and model
This is not the first time that a royal has become a guest editor. Prince Charles guest-edited Country Life Magazine for the issue that coincided with his 70th birthday last November. Prince Harry also guest-edited BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme in December of 2017, and the Duchess of Cambridge guest-edited Huffington Post U.K. in February of 2016.
The September issue of British Vogue will be available for digital download and on newsstands on Friday, August 2.
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