Meghan Markle took a step back from royal responsibilities to serve as an unpaid guest editor for a significant issue of Vogue, a royal commentator reports

Meghan Markle’s notorious Vogue cover raised eyebrows for her ‘snubbing’ of the late Queen and apparent ‘dig’ at Kate Middleton.

The September 2019 Forces for Change issue of British Vogue was guest-edited by the Duchess of Sussex and highlighted 15 ‘trailblazing change makers’ on its cover.

This particular edition made history as the fastest-selling issue in the magazine’s 104-year existence, completely selling out in only ten days. However, concerns were raised regarding the Duchess’s low number of royal engagements during her seven-month tenure as an unpaid guest editor, which totaled to only 22.

Notable personalities featured on the cover included Greta Thunberg, Sinéad Burke, as well as actors Gemma Chan and Jameela Jamil, alongside the then-New Zealand Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern.

But critics pointed out that the Queen was not among the 15 ‘women she admires’ featured, and neither were nurses, doctors, lawyers and teachers.

Ingrid Seward of Majesty magazine told the Sun: ‘The Duchess of Sussex has done a huge favour for the House of Conde Nast and rather less for the House of Windsor’.

In the book Battle of Brothers, royal author Robert Lacey wrote about the huge unpaid time commitment Meghan made to the magazine.

He wrote: ‘In the same seven months, January to July 2019, the Court Circular showed the Duchess of Sussex carrying out just 22 royal engagements, less than one per week – though this period did include Meghan’s maternity leave, along with a three-day tour to Morocco with Harry.

‘But why had this “powerhouse” recruit to the highest echelons of the House of Windsor spent seven months labouring so intensively on behalf of British Vogue – entirely unremunerated it must be emphasised again – while doing hardly any work at all for the British Royal Family?’

Meghan was at bottom of royal family engagements list for 2020 while Princess Anne was the most active royal. 

Compared to Kate’s performance in previous years when she took maternity leave, Meghan was left failing to live up to her example. 

In 2018, Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, took time away from royal duties while she took time off after the birth of her son, Prince Louis.

According to the Court Circular, during 2018, the Duchess of Cambridge undertook 42 engagements, while Meghan Markle undertook 45 engagements.

By comparison, according to the Court Circular, Meghan Markle undertook 28 engagements this year, meaning the Duchess of Cambridge took on an additional 14 engagements during the year she gave birth compared to her sister-in-law.

This equates to an additional 50 percent on Meghan Markle’s working commitments during 2019.

Meghan recently revealed that she experienced postpartum preeclampsia after giving birth to one of her children. 

At the time the magazine’s then-editor-in-chief Edward Enninful spoke of the Duchess of Sussex’s decision to leave herself off the cover – unlike Kate when she appeared in the magazine in June 2016. 

He 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.’

Royal commentator Rob Jobson told Sky News Meghan’s cover was ‘right on and ticks all the boxes’, but warned against getting involved in politics by asking the New Zealand Prime Minister to take part.

He also commented on Meghan working on the guest edit while on maternity leave – when she did not meet the US President.

He added: ‘She picked a conversation she had with Michelle Obama, this was done while she was on maternity leave, but she wasn’t around for when Donald Trump was here for the state visit.

‘You have got to be quite careful, if you want a voice, that is great. That is perfect if you are not necessarily a member of the Royal Family.

‘But, she has got to be very careful not to be partisan and I think that whilst you are using this for a force of good, you have just got to be a little bit careful on the politics side.’

Lacey wrote: ‘Many of the papers had identified Meghan’s proclaimed refusal to be ‘boastful’ by appearing on the front of her issue as a not-so-sly put-down to Kate, whose face had featured on the cover of her own Vogue a few years earlier.’

Kate starred on the cover of Vogue as part of a National Portrait Gallery Vogue exhibition for its centenary edition. 

Princess Diana featured on the cover three times, and Princess Anne also appeared in September 1971, May 1973 and November 1973.

In the middle of Meghan’s Vogue cover photo slots on was a mirror ‘so the reader can see themselves among all these other forces for change.’

Lacey added: ‘Somehow, a mini-mirror of reflective silver foil would be duly printed on the cover of Meghan’s feminist portrait gallery – and there would be a few small, scarecly conspicuous working photographs of Meghan inside the magazine.

The magazine was awarded The Diversity Initiative of the Year PPA Award for its September Issue despite being criticised for multiple reasons – including for not including any white men on the cover.

Meghan was the first person to guest edit the September issue – which is considered the magazine’s most important issue of the year, according to Enninful.

He said: ‘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.’

The following year Enninful addressed criticism Meghan had received when she joined the Royal Family.

He defended the Duchess, calling her a ‘brave woman’ and describing the treatment of her as ‘very unfair’ and ‘harsh’.

But he said he ‘wouldn’t just blame it on racism’, adding: ‘I think sometimes it takes a minute to understand the rules.’

But the friendship between the former editor and Meghan came to an abrupt end. 

The Mail on Sunday recently reported that their friendship imploded during a disagreement over how Vogue planned to feature a glossy showcase of Meghan and Prince Harry’s charitable work.

The coverage, designed to tie in with Meghan’s keynote appearance at the One Young World Summit in Manchester in September 2022, would have involved extensive features across the magazine and its digital editions.

But Conde Nast insiders claim it was abruptly pulled and scrapped completely.

A source said: ‘The Duchess and her team had high expectations and were expecting she might get a print cover or at least a digital cover out of it, but Enninful was not able to meet those expectations. He already had a magazine cover in the bag for that month.’

Shelving the project is said to have caused irreparable damage to their friendship. ‘Edward was furious to have lost the project, as were the powers that be at Conde Nast,’ a source told the MoS.

‘The whole process became very difficult. Edward could only promise her a big showy feature inside the magazine and online – but she turned it down.’

According to insiders, the project needed a full production team including photographers, videographers, stylists and editors to shoot exclusive images and film an in-depth video feature with the Sussexes.

Sources claim that after Enninful explained he had another cover in mind, Meghan’s team had asked if the couple could feature on Vogue’s special digital cover instead, which is released alongside the print edition.

But again, it is understood that Enninful declined.

‘He didn’t think it was appropriate to give her the cover,’ the source explained.

It was then that Meghan’s team pulled the plug. Relations between the pair never recovered.

Sources add that during the years that followed Enninful has increased his public involvement with the Royal Family and claim this is not something Meghan could easily overlook, particularly as he was initially supportive of her now-infamous ‘Megxit’ Oprah interview in 2021.

Despite this Enninful attended King Charles’s Coronation with American singer Katy Perry in May 2023.

The Vogue issue undeniably had its successes – but the period of time during which Meghan was working with the magazine is now shrouded with controversy.

Many of her decisions surrounding her 15 ‘changemakers’ left a sour taste in some people’s mouths – especially her decision not to include the Queen, somebody who seemingly helped Meghan adjust to new new royal life. 

This uncomfortable feeling among royal observers was only worsened by Meghan’s fallout with Enninful.

This comes as it was reported earlier this month that Enninful is launching a new ‘magazine and platform’ that is set to compete with former boss – and rumoured rival – Anna Wintour’s Vogue. 

Enninful, who was appointed fashion director of the edgy i-D magazine at just 18, announced his new venture on Instagram just two days after the Met Gala – unquestionably the most important night in fashion, which Wintour has presided over for three decades.

In 2018, Vogue was forced to deny rumours that there was a ‘growing rift’ between Enninful and Wintour.

It came after Enninful was said to have been left in tears when Wintour sat next to the Queen at London Fashion Week show – while was notably absent.

An insider told the Daily Mail’s Sebastian Shakespeare at the time: ‘Edward was in tears when he found out.

‘None of them knew about it. They had all flown to Milan for Milan Fashion week so they weren’t even in London when it happened.’

While Vogue’s publishers Condé Nast strongly denied the claims, saying ‘there is no truth to this’, another source described how the animosity between them was growing, suggesting the pair no longer talked.

All eyes will certainly be on the pair when the magazine is launched later this year.