Duchess of Sussex guest editor for September issue of British Vogue

The Duchess of Sussex is the guest editor on the September issue of British Vogue with articles on women’s rights, charities and climate change.

The edition, entitled “Forces for Change”, features a collection of “trailblazing changemakers united by their fearlessness in breaking barriers,” Kensington Palace said.

Highlights include a candid conversation between the Duchess of Sussex and former First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama. 

It also includes an interview between world-renowned ethologist and primatologist, Dr Jane Goodall and the Duke of Sussex.

Meghan has brought together 15 influential women for the cover for what is considered to be the fashion bible’s most important edition of the year.

Cover stars include prime minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern, actors Salma Hayek Pinault, Laverne Cox, Jameela Jamil, Yara Shahidi and Gemma Chan, and models Christy Turlington Burns, Adwoa Aboah and Adut Akech.

Boxer Ramla Ali, diversity advocate Sinead Burke, Royal Ballet principal dancer Francesca Hayward, author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, climate change campaigner Greta Thunberg and actress Jane Fonda complete the 15 cover stars.

The 16th spot is a mirror which aims to include the reader and encourage them to use their own platforms to effect change.

The Duchess of Sussex said: “These last seven months have been 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.

“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 Duchess does not grace the cover as she felt it would be a “boastful” thing for her to do, according to the magazine’s editor-in-chief Edward Enninful.

Mr Enninful managed to convince the Duchess to take on the honourable role, where she will also give an exclusive interview and be photographed for a large spread in the magazine.

He said Meghan is the first person to guest edit the September issue, adding: “To have the country’s most influential beacon of change guest edit British Vogue at this time has been an honour, a pleasure and a wonderful surprise.

“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. 

“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.” 

In June, the Duchess was named as one of Vogue’s 25 Most Influential Women of 2019, described as being “revolutionary” over how she handled the birth of her son, Archie.

The Duchess of Cambridge adorned the front of Vogue’s centenary issue in 2016.

The September issue of the magazine is widely considered the year’s biggest and most important, as it details the fashion for the coming autumn/winter season.

In 2009, a documentary film called The September Issue gave a behind the scenes look as US editor-in-chief Anna Wintour and creative director Grace Coddington worked together on the 2007 US edition of the magazine.

The September issue of British Vogue is available on Friday August 2.