11 February 2024 , 22:36
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Insiders have revealed the reason behind Meghan Markle’s absence from Vogue’s ‘Iconic Women’ cover - and it’s not what you thought.
When the infamous magazine’s editor-in-chief Edward Enninful debuted his final cover, fans were shocked to see that 42-year-old Meghan hadn’t made the cut. The March 2024 edition of British Vogue featured 40 “of the most booked and blessed women on earth” - including many of the Duchess of Sussex's close friends including Oprah, Serena Williams, and Jameela Jamil.
Also among the famous females were Naomi Campbell, Victoria Beckham, Cindy Crawford, Jane Fonda, Miley Cyrus, Kate Moss, Karlie Kloss, Gigi Hadid, Gemma Chan, and Selma Blair. Meghan’s absence from the star-studded lineup came as even more of a shock considering her stint guest editing the September 2019 issue - the time during which she became close friends with Enninful.
The cover featured Meghan's close friends; Oprah, Serena Williams, and Jameela Jamil (British Vogue/AFP via Getty Imag)
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Many were outraged that Meghan did not feature in the glamorous photo, taking to social media to suggest she had been “snubbed”. However, according to Vogue insiders - the real reason was far more benign.
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A source told the Daily Mail that the real reason the Suits alum was never considered was that only women who had appeared on the cover previously were invited. As it turns out, Meghan had the chance to feature on the cover years ago - but was too humble to take up the opportunity.
Meghan chose to leave herself off the cover of Vogue's Forces for Change issue (Getty Images)Meghan’s September issue, entitled ‘Forces for Change’, featured 15 trailblazing women. The Duchess decided to not include herself on the cover because she feared she would look “boastful”.
At the time, Enninful praised her decision: “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,” he said, adding: "She wanted, instead, to focus on the women she admires."
In a heartfelt post on X, Vogue described how the concept for Enninful’s final edition of the British magazine managed to come to life. They wrote: "When the idea for the cover was ignited, there was only one question: would 40 of the most booked and blessed women on earth actually make it to one studio in Manhattan, on one day in December? Spoiler alert: they came. Because who else could get 40 of the greatest talents from fashion, Hollywood and beyond in one room for a show of unity but Edward?"