Behind-the-scenes of how Meghan Markle's Vogue U.K. issue came together

Meghan Markle has made history again. Just announced by British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful, Markle’s guest-edited 2019 Forces For Change issue is officially the fastest-selling in the history of the mag. Selling out in only 10 days, the September issue featured a star-studded cover highlighting female changemakers like Yara Shahidi, Laverne Cox and Jane Fonda, instead of the Duchess of Sussex herself adorning the cover, and clearly people were into it.To celebrate the massive milestone, both Enninful and Markle’s Sussex Instagram pages included a never-before-seen video of Meghan and Edward discussing the makings of the iconic issue and revealing how the collaboration came to be. In truly English fashion, the pair first met while having tea at Kensington Palace. TBH, this is how North Americans assume all English friendships begin.In the new video, which was filmed at Enninful’s home in August 2019, Edward and Meghan’s natural camaraderie comes across easily on screen. The Duchess of Sussex reveals that it was her idea to guest-edit an issue of British Vogue, admitting that she didn’t know whether anyone had done that before (spoiler—no one had). “In the history of Vogue, you’re the first,” says Enninful. “You have an editor’s eye. I mean, I’ve never seen anything like it. You were so thorough from beginning to end.” Meghan was quick to jump in, adding “But I left the fashion stuff to you professionals.”

 

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To celebrate the record-breaking figures of @BritishVogue’s September 2019 issue, we are releasing a previously unseen film, made last year, for which I invited The #DuchessofSussex round to my London home to chat through our #ForcesForChange project. In the film, we speak to the 15 inspirational cover stars - all of whom, at the time, had no idea that this inspirational woman was behind this historic issue. Enjoy! Directed and edited by @Kloss_Films.

A post shared by Edward Enninful, OBE (@edward_enninful) on Feb 13, 2020 at 11:51am PST

The former Suits star said that she had a few sartorial requests, including Commonwealth fashion and brands that focused on sustainability, and she wanted to ensure that the issue’s “point of view [was] really in the right ethos."“You wanted to focus on women who are changing the world, women who are doing incredible things, which is really in line with what we do at British Vogue,” said Enninful.[video_embed id='-1']Meghan Markle shares her secret to being happy[/video_embed]The video shows the moment that Edward and Meghan called a handful of the 15 women who were featured on the iconic cover, including Adwoa Aboah, Sinéad Burke, Francesca Hayward, Shahidi and Hollywood icon Fonda. She was quick to praise Meghan for her work, with Fonda saying “I’m so proud of you for using your amazing platform and your strong voice, and I’m so honoured to be a part of it with those other amazing women.”Markle and Enninful first teamed up together on Smart Works, a charity focused on helping women gain access to timeless and professional workwear that could be worn to job interviews. Partnering with Marks and Spencer and John Lewis, as well as the fashion brand Jigsaw, Markle released the limited edition collection Smart Set with the help of designer Misha Nonoo. For every piece that was purchased from the capsule collection, a new piece of clothing was donated to a woman in need.Leaning into her moment, Markle revealed in the video that she used that meeting about Smart Works to springboard into her bigger idea about the September issue. If there’s one takeaway from Markle’s vision, it’s a reminder to always shoot your shot.[video_embed id='1893361']Madonna calls Canada ‘boring’ and offers Harry and Meghan her NYC apartment[/video_embed]