MAKING HER MARKLE
Meghan Markle’s VERY woke Vogue editor’s letter – from mermaids to ‘pow-wows’ with the Obamas (and Harry gets a mention too)
MEGHAN has written a right-on letter to Vogue readers as part of her guest-editing the prestigious September edition.
It’s a fascinating insight into “Meghan’s world” how she sees it, how she lives and what she thinks.
8
In gushing language, the new mum said she wanted to “shine a light in a world filled with seemingly daily darkness.”
And she wants to be a mermaid.
Her favourite quote (from The Four Chambered-Heart by Anais Nin) says: “I must be a mermaid. I have no fear of depths and a great fear of shallow living.”
She also brands fashion “superficial” and “at the shallow end of the pool” whilst acknowledging that the clothes’ bible’s September issue is all about…fashion. And models a £2,300 Gucci tweed dress in the magazine’s photo-shoot.
The 37-year-royal also recommends breathing and meditation for “internal beauty” and “a favourite workout that urges you to use your heart as much as your core.”
8
She even apologises for the ads in the mag: “It’s still a business… I share that to manage expectations for you: there will be advertising sections that are requisite for every issue, so while I feel confident that you’ll feel my thumbprint on most pages, please know that there are elements that just come with the territory.”
One of the biggest advertisers in Vogue is the luxury Kering group, whose brands such as Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga and Alexander McQueen spend millions in its pages.
Actress Salma Hayek, one of the 15 “Forces for Change” women on the mag’s front cover, is the wife of Kering’s billionaire CEO François-Henri Pinaul.
Meghan reveals it was she who first contacted Vogue editor Edward Enninful as she wanted publicity for her patronage Smart Works, which helps women get back into work by boosting their confidence.
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.
Meghan Markle in Vogue
8
8
The first meeting at Kensington Palace back in January was a love-in, “a promising pow wow of two like-minded thinkers, who have much in common, including our love of writing”.
She wrote: “Over a steaming cup of mint tea, we teased through how one can shine a light in a world filled with seemingly daily darkness. Lofty? Of course. Worth it? Without question.” She then asked Edward if she could guest edit the mag instead of appearing on its front cover. He said yes.
“Sitting on my sofa at home, two dogs nestled across me, I quietly celebrated when the words appeared on my screen.
“Within a week Edward and I were having our regular meetings - discussing goals, ideas, who would feature on the cover, all while I was undergoing a crash course in editorial lingo.”
8
Meghan is not the first royal to guest-edit a publication – Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, guest-edited the Huffington Post website, Harry with Radio Four’s prestigious Today programme and Prince Charles took the reins for a special edition of Country Life last year.
But Meghan writes that she wanted to make an impact and calls fashion superficial.
“There were facets I felt were of prime importance to include within this issue - elements that would hopefully set the tone, knowing this issue hits the stands in August just before the September fashion shows, where judgement can become clouded and focus skewed towards the superficial....
“For this issue, I imagined, why would we swim in the shallow end of the pool when we could go to the deep end? “A metaphor for life, as well as for this issue. Let’s be braver. Let’s go a bit deeper.” She celebrates Commonwealth designers, ethical brands and has picked 15 female “game changers” among them Kiwi Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, actress Jane Fonda and model Adwoa Aboah.
8
The beauty section is about “internal beauty, celebrating the power of breathing and meditation, and a favourite workout that urges you to use your heart as much as your core.” “This issue is about the power of the collective. In identifying our persona strength, it is anchored in the knowledge that we are even stronger together.”
Meghan – who also commissioned hubby prince Harry to interview conservationist and “ape lady” Jane Goodall – wrote that the mag was like her new-born baby Archie.
She wrote:“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-baby boy in ours. 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.”
Some criticised Meghan for not including the Queen in her “famous female game-changers” list.
You’ll also find a beauty section that puts its energy towards internal beauty, celebrating the power of breathing and meditation, and a favourite workout that urges you to use your heart as much as your core.
Meghan Markle in Vogue
8
The Duchess becomes the first royal to guest-edit the fashion bible, bringing together 15 'trailblazers' and 'changemakers' for a special 'Forces for Change' issue.
Meghan's edition includes actress Jane Fonda, 81, and climate change campaigner Greta Thunberg, 16 among other famous faces.
One online commenter tweeted it was “vacuous rubbish” and another called the magazine “absolutely awful”.
8
Royal Biographer Robert Jobson told The Sun: “The reality is if you’re the editor of this magazine then everything these people are saying comes from your view point and your standpoint.
“A lot of these people have been political figures.
“It’s interesting that Meghan says she has spent seven months on this project but of course she wasn’t around when President Trump made his State Visit to the UK.
“It could be seen as a political statement that she wasn’t able to take part in the Trump State visit but was around afterwards for Trooping the Colour and obviously working on this project that included a conversation with former First Lady, Democrat Michele Obama.
MOST READ IN FABULOUS
“It’s all very right-on.
“It ticks all the right boxes about women’s empowerment, all the right people.
“Some have had positive impacts others less so. Jane Fonda in her time was seen as controversial. You are entering the political field.”
Topics