Oh No, Meghan Markle’s Being Accused of Ripping Off Her ‘Vogue’ Cover From a Book She Helped Produce

Mehera Bonner
Photo credit: Getty Images
Photo credit: Getty Images

From Cosmopolitan

  • Meghan Markle has been accused of ripping off her Vogue cover by the authors of a book she “helped produce.”

  • Meghan was featured on the cover of The Game Changers, which also has a black-and-white grid.

Meghan Markle guest-edited the upcoming September issue of British Vogue, and to be quite honest, it looks fantastic. The duchess herself isn’t on the cover, but it features 15 women who are “raising the bar for equality, kindness, justice, and open-mindedness,” and there’s a mirror in the 16th space so you can include yourself on this list. Yes!!!

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We are proud to announce that Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Sussex is the Guest Editor for the September issue of @BritishVogue. 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. They have named the issue: “Forces for Change” 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 sixteenth 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. The women on the cover include: @AdwoaAboah @AdutAkech @SomaliBoxer @JacindaArdern @TheSineadBurke @Gemma_Chan @LaverneCox @JaneFonda @SalmaHayek @FrankieGoesToHayward @JameelaJamilOfficial @Chimamanda_Adichie @YaraShahidi @GretaThunberg @CTurlington We are excited to announce that within the issue you’ll find: an exclusive interview between The Duchess and former First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama, a candid conversation between The Duke of Sussex and Dr Jane Goodall, inspirational articles written by Brené Brown, Jameela Jamil and many others. Equally, you’ll find grassroots organisations and incredible trailblazers working tirelessly behind the scenes to change the world for the better. “Guest Editing the September issue of British Vogue has been rewarding, educational and inspiring. 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. A huge thanks to all of the friends who supported me in this endeavour, lending their time and energy to help within these pages and on the cover. Thank you for saying “Yes!” - and to Edward, thank you for this wonderful opportunity.” - The Duchess of Sussex #ForcesForChange

A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on Jul 28, 2019 at 2:26pm PDT

It’s honestly lovely, but unfortunately, Meghan is being accused of ripping off this instantly iconic cover by authors of a book she worked on. Apparently, Meghan “helped produce” (read: wrote an essay for) The Game Changers by Samantha Brett and Steph Adams about three years before guest editing Vogue’s Forces of Change issue, and it also uses a grid cover with black-and-white photos.

Photo credit: The Game Changes
Photo credit: The Game Changes

Brett went ahead and talked to the Daily Mail, saying, “It’s obviously very flattering, she obviously likes our concept! I love Meghan and am a huge fan, but if what people are alerting us to is true, then it’s extremely disappointing.”

Meghan was one of 15 women to appear in The Game Changers, and according to the authors, she personally approved of the cover. But let’s pause a moment, kay?

While sure, the vibe here is vaguely similar, the concept of a black-and-white photo grid isn’t exactly copyrighted! And what’s most important is the women highlighted in Meghan’s Vogue issue, including actress Jane Fonda, activist and model Adwoa Aboah, boxer Ramla Ali, and principal dancer Francesca Hayward, among many others. Plus, if we need to discuss originality, the cover’s mirror feature is pretty unique, just saying.

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