Edward Enninful says co-editing Duchess Meghan's British Vogue September 2019 issue was "a wonderful surprise".
Meghan's Vogue cover
The 37-year-old royal - who was known as Meghan Markle before she married Prince Harry in May 2018 - has teamed up with the iconic fashion bible's Editor-in-Chief to produce the prestigious fall issue, which has been titled 'Forces for Change', and focuses on the "values, causes and people making impact in the world today".
Instead of featuring herself, the Duchess of Sussex chose 15 inspirational women for the cover, including Adwoa Aboah, Gemma Chan, Laverne Cox, Jane Fonda, Salma Hayek and Jameela Jamil, and Edward insisted it was an "honour" to be able to collaborate with the UK's "most influential beacon of change".
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."
Within the pages is an interview with Meghan conducted by her friend, former First Lady Michelle Obama, and a "candid" chat with her husband, The Duke of Sussex - with whom Meghan has two-month-old son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor - and Dr. Jane Goodall.
The cover has also been specially designed so that when its held up to the face, readers can see their own face in the refection of the 16th box to be made to feel a part of the "collective", and the fashion mogul admitted that the royal decided not to be on the title's front page because she didn't want to be "boastful".
Speaking in the magazine, he said: "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."
A statement on the official Sussex Royal Instagram on Monday (29.07.19) saw Meghan describe the process as "rewarding, educational and inspiring".
The former actress said: "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."
Tagged in Meghan Markle Gemma Chan Laverne Cox