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Meghan Markle has been confirmed as the guest editor for British Vogue's September issue.
News of her Vogue role had been heavily rumoured after she gave birth to her first child with Prince Harry, baby Archie, back in May.
The UK publication has now released the first look at a shoot with Meghan, where she is pictured at the workroom of charity Smart Works, of which she is the royal patron.
The Duchess of Sussex is the first person to edit the iconic September issue, which focuses on female changemakers and has been titled 'Forces for Change' by editor-in-chief Edward Enninful.
She has been heavily involved in choosing women across fashion, film, tech, and beyond to feature including actress Yara Shahidi, model Adwoa Aboah, climate change campaigner Greta Thunberg, activist and actor Jane Fonda, LGBTQIA+ advocate and actor Laverne Cox.
Enninful shared how delighted he was of the Royal's role in one of the most important editions of 2019: "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.”
He added: "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.”
From activists to artists, politicians to performers, poets to provocateurs, British Vogue and HRH The Duchess of Sussex chose women to celebrate a special moment in time, calling it ‘Forces for Change’.
Together, these women are British Vogue’s cover stars for September and the ultimate force for change in the world right now.
The Duchess believes British Vogue’s readers are part of this moment too - as a result the 16th spot on the magazine’s cover is a mirror to include the reader and encourage them to use their own platforms to effect change.
Also included in the cast are model and former refugee Adut Akech, boxer Ramla Ali, Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern, Diversity advocate and lecturer Sinead Burke, campaigner and actress Gemma Chan, women’s rights advocate, actor and producer Salma Hayek, author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and model Christy Turlington Burns.
It's believed Meghan opted out of a cover page for the magazine as she wanted to focus "purely on women's empowerment".
She also chose to go local with British Vogue and Edward Enninful instead of heading to US Vogue with Dame Anna Wintour, who had been reportedly been trying to win her over.
She also refused to include a family album with photos of her husband Prince Harry and her son Archie as she would rather steer attention away from her personal life and focus on pressing issues.
Emails were exchanged back and forth between Vogue's West End offices and the Sussex's Windsor residence, Frogmore Cottage in the build up to the news, according to the Daily Mail.
Read the full feature in the September issue of British Vogue, available on newsstands and digital download on Friday 2nd August 2019
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