Once again, Meghan Markle is facing harsh criticism for something she's done as a royal. The Duchess of Sussex was the guest editor for British Vogue's September issue, and it was publicized on the royals' official Instagram page.
Her Royal Highness is the first Guest Editor for British Vogue’s September Issue and for the last seven months has worked to create an issue of inclusivity and inspiration, focusing on what connects us rather than what divides us.Fifteen women were chosen for the cover including New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who generously lent her time to support The Duchess in this important issue. The women first met last autumn during Their Royal Highness’ official tour of New Zealand.
The Duchess penned a letter about her decision to approach Vogue about guest editing, and even shared some things about her new baby.
“I was about five months pregnant when this process began, and by the time you hold this issue in your hands, my husband and I will be holding our three-month-old baby boy in ours,” Markle wrote. “It’s a very special time for me personally, on so many levels; working with Edward and his team, both during my pregnancy and my maternity leave, has played no small part in that joy – it has been a privilege to be welcomed and supported by this amazing team.”
Edward Enninful, the editor-in-chief of Vogue, in January and struck up a conversation with him. The two hit it off, and that's when Markle starting getting the idea of potentially editing.
“What evolved over the next hour was a promising pow wow of two like-minded thinkers, who have much in common, including our love of writing,” Markle, who ran a lifestyle blog called The Tig for years, wrote. “Over a steaming cup of mint tea, we teased through how one can shine light in a world filled with seemingly daily darkness. Lofty? Of course. Worth it? Without question.”
Markle was the one who approached Enninful about the job.
“So I asked the question,” she wrote. “Actually, I typed and deleted the question several times until I built up the courage to ask the question in question. ‘Edward… instead of doing the cover, would you be open to me guest editing your September issue?' The ellipsis… the ‘dot dot dot’ that inspires the greatest practice of patience in this digital era. And then it appeared, EE’s reply: ‘Yes! I would love for you to be my guest editor.' Sitting on my sofa at home, two dogs nestled across me, I quietly celebrated when the words appeared on my screen.”
Of course, Markle's involvement has been widely criticized, mainly because they feel as though she's being "too political" with her features in the magazine. The other issue people have is that Markle chose to feature celebrities, even though there are other women who don't have a platform who are changing the world. However, sources close to the palace say that Markle isn't letting the criticism take anything away from her accomplishment, and that Prince Harry is fully behind her.
“This is an incredibly proud moment for her and she isn’t letting the backlash get to her," the source said. "It helps that Prince Harry is behind her a hundred percent. He thinks she did a brilliant job and he’s been very vocal about it. Meghan’s passionate commitment to making real positive change in the world is one of the reasons she and Harry connect so well, they’re both about making change.”
The source also said that Markle felt it was important to cover the topics she did because they rarely get media time.
“The issues Meghan covered in Vogue — the environment, mental health issues, body positivity — these are subjects that are rarely, if ever, covered by fashion magazines," the source continued. "But Meghan fought for her vision and she brought it to life. She put her heart and soul into it and as much as she does wish everyone understood what she was trying to do she’s well aware that you can never please everyone, that’s simply a fact of life.”
It's not that the Duchess isn't listening to any of the feedback, though. She's choosing to listen to those who are supporting her work.
“Meghan is focused on all the positive feedback she is getting," the source explained. "She worked incredibly hard and it was all done very secretively so it’s exciting to finally have it out in the world. She’s rightfully proud of it and no one can take that away from her, especially not Piers Morgan. She won’t respond to his hateful comments, she can see him for exactly who he is and she has no interest in engaging with him.”
I think what Markle has done is wonderful. People in her position have a responsibility to bring awareness to issues facing the world, and I think she did it in a wonderful way.
