One of the worst moments for the Duchess of Sussex’s relationship with the British media came in the summer of 2019, when she guest-edited the September 2019 edition of British Vogue. Edward Enniful had asked Meghan to appear on the cover, and she said no but asked if she could guest-edit as a way to highlight different issues close to her heart. Issues like disability accessibility, female leadership, feminism, environmentalism, etc. It was a lovely issue and people supported it by making it one of the best-selling issues of British Vogue. Unfortunately, the British media threw a six-week-long tantrum about the people and issues she chose to highlight, the fact that she said no to appearing on the cover, the fact that she didn’t include many white women, and on and on. It was one of the nastiest moments in a years-long campaign of character assassination.
Well, that all happened on Enniful’s watch. Before Enniful took over as Editor in Chief of British Vogue, the magazine was helmed by Alexandra Shulman, a mean bigot who didn’t like to feature women of color on the cover or inside the magazine. Shulman was EIC from 1992 through January 2017. Shulman just revealed that she approached Princess Diana to guest-edit British Vogue too, only Diana turned her down.
The Duchess of Sussex was proud to be the first member of the Royal Family to serve as guest editor of Vogue in 2019 —but her late mother-in-law was invited to do the job more than 20 years earlier.
Former Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman has revealed that Princess Diana turned down the chance to take the helm.
‘I wish she had agreed to guest edit Vogue,’ Shulman tells me, sharing an image of the rejection letter dated a year before Diana’s death. ‘Together, we would have produced something very entertaining. But she may well have been wiser not to. She knew her strengths and limitations, and was savvy enough to see the problems that could lie ahead.’
I’m sorry, what? “She knew her strengths and limitations” – nothing like calling a dead woman too dumb to guest-edit a fashion magazine. Diana “was savvy enough to see the problems that could lie ahead.” Yes, Diana was so prescient, she could see that in 24 years’ time, her daughter-in-law would be subjected to wall-to-wall harassment from the British media for daring to guest-edit a magazine. Diana probably didn’t want to guest-edit the magazine because she thought it would be a waste of her time, and she wanted to focus on other things. Still, these British biddies love taking swipes at Meghan over nothing.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Cover Images.
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- HRH PRINCESS OF WALES (HRH Princess Diana) Seen at the 1995 Wimbledon Tennis Championships. COMPULSORY CREDIT: Talking Sport/Photoshot Photo UGL 009812/G-04a 09.07.1995,Image: 501805420, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: World Rights – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries call Photoshot Global HQ – London + 44 (0)20 7421 6000 , also New York Office Tel : + 1 646-429-8731 and Hamburg Office Tel +49 (0)40 530 240 5959, Model Release: no, Credit line: Photoshot / Avalon
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- DIANA, PRINCESS OF WALES (Attending the Mines Advisory Group Conference at the Royal Geographical Society) COMPULSORY CREDIT: UPPA/Photoshot Photo UIW 013311/B-09 12.06.1997,Image: 502739127, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: World Rights – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries call Photoshot Global HQ – London + 44 (0)20 7421 6000 , also New York Office Tel : + 1 646-429-8731 and Hamburg Office Tel +49 (0)40 530 240 5959, Model Release: no, Credit line: Photoshot / Avalon
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- Diana, Princess of Wales, visits Liverpool Cathedral,Image: 552324728, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Photoshot – sales@photoshot.com London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Florida: +1 239 689 1883 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: John Shelley Collection / Avalon
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- ** RIGHTS: ONLY UNITED STATES, BRAZIL, CANADA ** London, UNITED KINGDOM – Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, launches the Smart Works capsule collection, in support of Smart Works, at John Lewis, Oxford Street, London, UK. Pictured: Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex BACKGRID USA 12 SEPTEMBER 2019 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- ** RIGHTS: ONLY UNITED STATES, BRAZIL, CANADA ** London, UNITED KINGDOM – Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, launches the Smart Works capsule collection, in support of Smart Works, at John Lewis, Oxford Street, London, UK. Pictured: Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex BACKGRID USA 12 SEPTEMBER 2019 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- FILE PICTURE FROM 1996 SHOWING: December 2, 1996: Diana, Princess of Wales, at a Centrepoint event in London, UK. Prince William, who is now patron of the organisation visited a shelter today (December 21, 2011) with Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. Mandatory Credit: Zak Hussein/INFevents.com Ref: infuklo-108|sp| Featuring: Princess DIana, Princess of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 02 Dec 1996 Credit: Zak Hussein/INFevents.com
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- USA Rights Only – London, UK -20190912-The Duchess of Sussex departs after launching the Smart Works capsule collection at John Lewis in Oxford Street, London. PA Photo. Picture date: Thursday September 12, 2019. The series of outfits that can be worn in the workplace have been created in aid of Smart Works, a charity which provides training and interview clothes to unemployed women in need, and has Meghan as its royal patron -PICTURED: Meghan Duchess of Sussex -PHOTO by: Dominic Lipinski/PA Images/INSTARimages.com -45211137.jpg This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact Instar Images LLC for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207 This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. Instar Images LLC reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded Featuring: Meghan Duchess of Sussex Where: London, England, United Kingdom When: 12 Sep 2019 Credit: Dominic Lipinski/PA Images/INSTARimages.com **USA Rights Only**
Maybe Diana couldn’t see the possibilities at the time. Or knew with the racist editor in charge they wouldn’t have seen eye to eye. Or maybe knew Charles would pitch a fit and what they were proposing wasn’t worth the headache.
I have idea what the content of British Vogue was like in the 80s and 90s, but no doubt it was VASTLY different to today.
If I was to hazard a guess; it’s because she knew the tabloids would have ridiculed her for being silly and frivolous. Even if the focus was about Landmines, AIDs and other charitable interests, the tabloid slant would have been mockery.
Or maybe she didn’t like Alexandra Shulman and the thought of working in close proximity with her on an vogue issue made her skin crawl.
racism is a disease. like what purpose does this serve, taking a swipe at meghan, using her mother in law!?! just truly ridiculous and hateful.
Maybe it’s early in the morning but this sounds more like a swipe at Diana and Meghan just used to add to the SEO.
Or maybe he’s attempting to minimize both women.
Anyways clearly they are missing Meghan.
The British press’ obsession with Meghan has no bounds. How come Ms Shulman didn’t share this piece of information when Meghan was being slammed for doing the guest edit? For all the Palace’s talk about how much they supported Meghan, this was a clear example of the many times they didn’t support Meghan. They didn’t defend her or promote the issue.
I saw the picture of the rejection letter and it honestly looks a bit suspect to me. But maybe i am going crazy.
Or perhaps, Ms Shulman, Diana didn’t like YOU.
They’re really digging deep trying to find something to say about Meghan.
This!
Scraping the bottom of the barrel now.
They really miss Meghan.
Forces for change became British Vogue best selling issue ever (and i regret that i didn’t get my hands on it then) so meghan has the last laugh.
That fact got zero press in the UK. They called it a failure.
Andrea Shulman seems like a terrible person and bitter about a lot of things. Meghan’s issue, despite the smear, was a success. One that didn’t happen under her leadership. Bitter bitter. Also, will never get over Tominey and others complaining that there weren’t enough white people on the cover. Racist racist racist.
How come Schulmann didn’t mention that the 100 anniversary cover that she put Kate on was one of the worst selling issue that British vogue had? I think Kate was the reason Schulmann was fired.
Mediocre people using Meghan for publicity and relevancy. No one is even talking about Meghan’s very successful 2019 BV issue anymore bc Harry published a world record breaking bestseller in 2023! Keep up. Someone buy this heifer a calendar and a clue!
And she actually kept the decades old rejection letter from Princess Diana? Is this her way of trying to sell it?
It’s amazing how bothered people still are about Meghan guest editing Vogue. Shulman probably hates Edward Enninful and what he’s done with British Vogue since he replaced her. Diana did at least 3 Vogue covers during Schulman’s tenure so while that is a nice little note to share, not sure it’s supposed to do anything other than bragging rights. It’s really amazing how they can’t get over anything Meghan had done , and it’s been over 3 years now, and they think screaming across the Atlantic and the Continental divide and the Sierras are supposed to elicit a response from Montecito. I still have my copy of Meghan’s Vogue. Meanwhile, people are still talking about Spare and bigger conversations are starting to emerge surrounding the book and garnering international attention from serious journalists and academics.
Meghan did a great job. Much like she does everything, she seemed to put all of her heart and soul into making it something special. Diana would have done a great job too.
This information would have been relevant if the comparison was between the two women with the same titles.
Instead it is being misused, to settle grudges.
Vogue replaced the person who volunteered this info with the present editor, who negotiated a guest-editor that cemented the results of the change.
The sales from the September issue with the Duchess of Sussex as guest editor is among the highest ever.
Then-in lies the problem, that success evoked rage and envy, still evident today.
Smugness was bested.
So much of the swiping at editors and journalists who do have access to the Sussexes is straight up professional jealousy and resentment. These people peddle in access so it enraged them when they don’t have any, while something like Meghan’s Vogue issue becomes a phenomenal success.
Ditto.
A savvy media user has posted an item from Lacy’s book ‘ Battle of the Brothers” that explained this situation.
Edward Young whom replaced Christopher Geidt at BP was angry that two of Meghan’s achievements as duchess were conceived without BP. They are the Together Cookbook and her stint as guest editor for Vogue.
It caused some of the most ugly outbursts like that of the sad little man who was at the sun snakepit er news.
Also of note:-
A savvy media user has posted an item from Lacy’s book ‘ Battle of the Brothers” that explained this situation.
Edward Young whom replaced Christopher Geidt at BP was angry that two of Meghan’s achievements as duchess were conceived without BP. They are the Together Cookbook and her stint as guest editor for Vogue.
It caused some of the most ugly outbursts like that of the sad little man who was at the sun snakepit er news.
Diana was right to turn it down because she was already being shaded as a fashion plate who couldn’t handle “deep” issues like her husband (Charles’ view from the beginning, gah). At that time royalty was supposed to be above the media, at least publicly.
Times have changed plenty over 20-30 years. Kate was on the cover of Vogue. Brit reporters are going to pull a muscle for reaching this far for an angle to put down Meghan. She’s living rent free in their head.
I think the issues the BRF have always had with Meg’s Vogue guest edit is the fact that;
1. Kate wasn’t asked/ volunteer or didn’t do it first (she did however do a hilarious Sloane Ranger cover)
2. It garnered so much global attention unlike Kate’s Huff Post pretend guest edit
3. The issue sold out
4. The edit was not leaked and the Rota Rats didn’t know about it till the very end and so were not able to define and narrate the guest edit the way they wanted