Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle is adding another role to her accomplished résumé: Vogue editor. Specifically, she's the very first guest editor of British Vogue's September issue—the biggest one of the year. The magazine and the palace both announced the news on Sunday evening (July 28) via social media.
"Introducing the September 2019 issue of #BritishVogue, guest-edited by HRH The Duchess of Sussex @SussexRoyal," British Vogue wrote in an Instagram post with the issue cover. "Entitled #ForcesForChange, the cover features 15 world-leading women who are reshaping public life for global good, and were personally chosen by The Duchess of Sussex, and British Vogue’s editor-in-chief @Edward_Enninful."
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Included among the many women on the cover are Gemma Chan, Yara Shahidi, Greta Thunberg, Laverne Cox, and Jane Fonda, with one space seemingly left open—and it turns out Markle had an inspired reason for that.
"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 caption for @royalsussex's Instagram announcement reads.
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The royal family also released another photo of Markle, who looks to be hard at work on the issue (and also very chic in her tweed Gucci dress).
As for what we can expect from her selections for the issue? The @royalsussex account reports that there will be an interview with former First Lady Michelle Obama, a "candid conversation" between Prince Harry and Jane Goodall, and pieces by Brené Brown and Jameela Jamil, as well as a focus on grassroots organizations and pioneers working to positively shape the world.
Markle was “willing to wade into more complex and nuanced areas, whether they concern female empowerment, mental health, race, or privilege," British Vogue editor in chief Edward Enninful said in an interview accompanying the issue's release.
It also sounds like Markle was happy to take a backseat when it came to her being on the September issue's cover. "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,” he added in the piece.
The September issue will hit newsstands Friday, August 2.
