‘Another royal headache’: Meghan Markle’s Vogue collaboration puts her in hot water again

At first glance, Meghan’s collaboration with Vogue seems admirable — but look a little closer and it’s another big headache for the royal family.

When you think of Princess Anne, what comes to mind? A penchant for mustard suits paired with a grudging countenance? An indomitable work ethic and intimate knowledge of equine breeding techniques?

Absolutely.

But we should also put Vogue cover girl on that list, given she is the joint first place getter, along with Diana, Princess of Wales, when it comes to the number of times a member of the royal family has posed for the front of the fashion glossy. (Diana did appear a fourth time posthumously.)

In fact, a long list of members of the royal family have appeared in the pages of style bible including Kate, Duchess of Cambridge in some sort of RM Williams-esque cosplay, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie slathered in red lipstick and looking wildly glam, Princess Margaret, the Prince of Wales, the Queen and even the Queen Mother.

Behind the scenes video grabs of the Duchess of Sussex and British Vogue editor Edward Enninful. Picture: Vogue

Today, we can add another name to that list: Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex.

Overnight the first images were released of the September issue of British Vogue which the Duchess coedited with editor Edward Enninful. Rather than also appearing on the cover (she savvily thought it would be “boastful”), Meghan instead decided to feature 15 activists, politicians and leaders who she and Enninful have dubbed “Forces for Change”.

At first glance, this is a powerful move on Meghan’s part. This project aligns with so many issues she has passionately advocated about for years, even long before she met a certain red-headed HRH, such as gender equality and climate change.

The cover of Meghan’s issue of Vogue UK. Picture: Kensington Palace/Peter Lindbergh/AFP

The cover also boasts a number of firsts, such as the first trans woman to appear on a Vogue cover (US actress Laverne Cox), the oldest woman to appear on a Vogue cover (Jane Fonda at 81) and the first time that the powers-that-be have allowed someone from outside the ranks of Conde Nast to guest edit the hyped September Issue.

(The closest anyone else has gotten is when Beyonce was given creative control over the US Vogue September issue cover last year.)

However, look more closely and Meghan’s magazine foray starts to resemble a headache for the royal family at large.

For one thing, an essential part of being a member of Windsor & Co means being an indefatigable ambassador for Britain and British interests. Yet, only five of the 15 people that Meghan tapped to appear on the cover are British. (Three others are from Commonwealth nations.)

Meghan will guest edit the September issue of iconic fashion magazine British Vogue, which will see her in ‘candid conversation’ with former first lady Michelle Obama. Picture: @SussexRoyal/Kensington Palace/AFP

This isn’t pettiness, this goes to the very heart of the royal family’s raison d’etre. Like it or not, persistently promoting Old Blighty at every opportunity is an essential function of the royal family (that and keeping the tiara industry going).

It is inherently perilous to the very survival of the monarchy, even in minor ways, to fail to fulfil this obligation. (Why else do you think Kate spends so much of her time in floral frocks from UK high street labels such as Reiss and buying Alexander McQueen coat dresses in bulk?)

The Duchess was briefly pictured in a behind the scenes clip of her guest editing the British fashion magazine. Picture: Vogue

Another potential sore point is that there is an equal number of American faces as Brits, a detail that will only fuel suggestions that Meghan is more interested in marketing herself to US audiences than those in her adopted homeland. (Ditto the fact Meghan has chosen to interview an American mover and shaker, Michelle Obama, rather than a British woman.)

Lastly, there is much broader existential question of why she agreed to this project. Because of all the things that Meghan might need right now, like an uninterrupted night’s sleep or an official copy of the Wimbledon dress code, she most certainly does not need Vogue’s help if she wants to celebrate these women.

Meghan certainly doesn’t need Vogue’s help to get her message across. Picture: Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP

Her platform and reach, as a member of the royal family, far, far surpasses that of the 103-year-old title by every metric. The Sussex Royal Instagram (9.2 million) account has nearly three times as many followers as the UK Vogue (3.4 million).

The magazine’s circulation is 192,112 — as of the time of writing, the post on the Sussex Insta account announcing Meghan’s issue of Vogue has already racked up far more likes.

There are any number of ways that Meghan could have shone a spotlight on the achievements of these game changers without one-upping Beyonce and co-opting a Vogue cover.

(How amazing for instance, to have Meghan and Jameela Jamil discuss body image during an Instagram live? Or for Meghan to interview Ramla Ali about her experience of bullying?)

Which leaves us with the uncomfortable question of whether this whole exercise was just about bolstering Brand Sussex at the expense of the wider royal family.

While this is a win for Meghan, it’s a loss for the royal family as a whole. Picture: AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File

In the coming months, Harry and Meghan will officially debut their new charitable endeavour, the Sussex Royal Foundation, which will reportedly focus on, among other things, youth outreach and environmental causes.

Corralling a headline-grabbing, celebrity-heavy roster for Vogue goes a long way to helping establish them as roving, international activists.

According to some tabloid reports, it was Amal Clooney who encouraged Meghan to work with the storied magazine. While Amal might address the United Nations occasionally and have the undivided attention of one George Clooney, she still needs platforms such as Vogue to truly amplify her message to a global audience.

Meghan doesn’t. And the sooner she learns that she is already in possession of the most powerful megaphone in the world, namely the “HRH” in front of her name, the better. That and she occasionally ditches the Givenchy for some Reiss frocks from time to time.

Daniela Elser is a royal expert and freelance writer. Continue the conversation @DanielaElser