Left: model and
advocate Adwoa
Aboah is a force for
change (page 236)Above: eternally alluring
Parisienne style in C’est Chic
(page 252). Below: Lorraine
Pascale is one of five Vogue
favourites reminiscing about
their first jobs, on page 278From
activists to
artists, prime
ministers
to climate
change
campaigners,
we would
gather faces
to celebrate
a special
moment in
time
80
ZOE GHERTNER; PETER LINDBERGH; PAUL WETHERELL
them. I left feeling inspired and ready
to help in any way that I could.
Then I got a text message. Would
I, the Duchess asked, ever so politely,
consider co-editing a special issue of
Vogue with her, to highlight all the
brilliant female changemakers who
have made a laudable impact in recent
times, and who are set to re-shape
society in radical and positive ways in
the future? From activists to artists,
prime ministers to climate change
campaigners, we would gather faces
from the front lines of fashion, film,
technology, wellness and beyond to
celebrate a special moment in time –
and to ask the question: “What’s next?”
I didn’t have to think: I knew the
answer was yes. “We could call it Forces
for Change,” I said, and the adventure
began. And, boy, was it an adventure.
From the outset, I discovered someone
with a real editor’s mind, who knew how
to align what she wanted to say with
everything we stand for here at British
Vogue. When I first showed her layouts
of how some early features might look...
Well, she just got it. From ideas and theflatplan, to selecting and commissioning
writers and photographers, it was a
process she instantly understood.
The Duchess introduces her
extraordinary work in her own words
in her guest editor’s letter on the
following pages, but you will find
evidence of her influence everywhere:
from interviewing Michelle Obama
(page 264), to spotlighting her
charity Smart Works, and penning an
introduction to a favourite poem –
Matt Haig’s A note from the beach
(page 168). She also happens to have
commissioned her husband, Prince
Harry, to interview the indomitable
Jane Goodall (page 182) in a fascinating
piece that shows how we can all look
after our world better.
Throughout all this, I have been
struck by the Duchess’s sincerity and
her daring. Like all working members
of the Royal Family, she proves her
mettle as a philanthropist on a daily
basis, and regularly turns her attention
to those less fortunate. But, as you will
see from her selections throughout this
magazine, she is also willing to wade intomore 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 women she admires.
There have been so many special
moments in the process. I will never
forget visits to Kensington Palace with
my team from Vogue in the last cold
days of winter, or our emoji-filled text
conversations as spring arrived bringing
new life (in this case quite literally, as
the Duchess gave birth to her son,
Archie) and re-focusing all of our minds
on the important job at hand.
Two-thousand-and-nineteen marks
a fundamental moment of societal
change, a tipping point that I believe
we will re-examine in years to come.
To have the country’s most influential
beacon of change guest edit Vogue at
this time has been an honour, a pleasure
and a wonderful surprise. When you
only know someone by their public
persona, all too often you find yourself
disappointed by the reality. But, once
in a while, someone comes along who
exceeds all of your expectations. Let
me say this for The Duchess of Sussex:
she is the real deal – and an ultimate
force for change.EDITOR’S LETTER