Left: Edward Enninful behind
the scenes on Vogue’s September
cover shoot. Below, from top:
Fine Print, on page 302; Arthur
Elgort and Grace Coddington’s
take on autumn’s glorious gowns
(page 284); Tanni Grey-Thompson,
on left, and Jade Jones-Hall in
Leaders & Protégés, on page 296
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77
ARTHUR ELGORT; JULIA HETTA; PETER LINDBERGH; VENETIA SCOTT
EDITOR’S LETTER
received in the chilly depths of January.
I was spending a few days in the
Austrian mountains when a message
arrived in my inbox out of the blue.
The sender went by the simplest
of monikers – “M” – and for a second
I was confused, wondering who this
mysterious, one-lettered correspondent
could possibly be. I couldn’t have
known then how the answer to this
question would come to define an
extraordinary few months in the life of
this magazine, or that it would lead to
HRH The Duchess of Sussex becoming
the first person ever to guest edit a
September issue of British Vogue.
Anyone who knows me, or has read
this title since I became its editor two
years ago, will already appreciate that
the Duchess is a woman for whom
I have a deep and profound respect.
Since she first began to navigate the
waters of the British Establishment,
I, like so many in this country, have
found her to be an inspirational woman
of action. From her hands-on approach
to transforming women’s lives at Smart
Works (which she writes about on
page 276), to the variety of her broader
charity commitments, she bears all
the hallmarks of a true activist. And
then there is the gently modernising
manner in which she has approached
her new role at the centre of Britain’s
public life. From negotiating first-
time motherhood within an ancient
institution to changing how we frame
the conversation around women who
face rabid media interest, her positive
influence is everywhere.On a personal note,
I can’t overstate how
much it meant to
me to see HRH The
Duke of Sussex marry
this brilliant, bi-racial,
American powerhouse.
I simply never imagined
that, in my lifetime,
someone of my colour
would – or could – enter
the highest echelons of
our Royal Family. On her
wedding day, as she rode
to St George’s Chapel at
Windsor, with her mother,
Doria, by her side, to
marry the man of her
dreams, it was clear that
the world was witnessing
something incredibly
powerful. It went
beyond diversity, beyond
inclusivity, into humanity.
It was pure love.
Yet all of these thoughts
were ones I’d had from
afar. We’d never actually met. Then,
on that fateful day in January, the
“M” email pinged into my life. In a
tone that I would come to recognise as
her calling card, the message was
warm, purposeful and to the point:
she believed we would have lots in
common and would I like to meet up?
Of course, I was more than a little
nervous when, a week later, I headed
to meet the Duchess for tea in central
London. She was entering the final
months of her pregnancy and wasutterly radiant in a navy tailored coat.
She was also full of ideas. What struck
me most was her remarkable immediacy.
You have all these preconceptions
about what a Duchess will be like,
but Her Royal Highness simply gave
me a hug and said: “I’m Meghan.”
We made an instant connection –
straightaway, our perspectives on work
made us feel so naturally synced – and
we started discussing her projects with
Smart Works and how the magazine
might be able to supportIt began with
an email...