Real reason Meghan Markle didn’t appear on iconic Vogue legends cover revealed

Meghan’s conspicuous absence from a recent iconic Vogue shoot – despite her close friendship with its editor – was for one specific reason.

Meghan with Vogue editor Edward Enninful. Picture: Chris Jackson/Getty Images; Vogue

When Edward Enninful debuted his final cover, royal fans were surprised to see that the Duchess of Sussex hadn’t made the cut.

Meghan Markle, 42, was noticeably absent from the impressive shoot, featuring 40 “of the most booked and blessed women on earth” with her eagle-eyed fans taking to social media to suggest she had been ‘snubbed’, reports The Sun.

Edward Enninful’s 76th and final edition of British Vogue. Picture: Steven Meisel for British Vogue

A scene from the behind the scenes video released when Meghan Markle and Enninful when she guest edited British Vogue. Picture: Vogue

However, according to Vogue insiders, that simply wasn’t the case.

The source told the Mail on Sunday she was never considered because only women who had appeared on the cover previously were invited.

Meghan’s friends including Oprah, Serena Williams, and Jameela Jamil all appeared in the glamorous picture marking the March 2024 edition.

They sit alongside a host of famous names including Naomi Campbell, Victoria Beckham, Cindy Crawford, Jane Fonda, Miley Cyrus, Kate Moss, Karlie Kloss, Gigi Hadid, Gemma Chan, and Selma Blair on the famous cover on sale from Tuesday.

Vogue captioned their post, on X/formerly Twitter: “After six and a half years and 153 cover stars behold #EdwardEnninful’s final edition of #BritishVogue.

“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?”

The duchess in the workroom of the Smart Works London office as part of her Vogue collaboration. Picture: @SussexRoyal/Kensington Palace/AFP

It came as a shock Meg wasn’t featured after she became close with Enninful while guest editing the September 2019 issue.

She left herself off the cover over fears she’d look “boastful” and chose to instead focus on 15 women who “break barriers”.

At the time, Enninful spoke of the duchess’ decision and said: “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.

“She wanted, instead, to focus on the women she admires.”

This article originally appeared in The Sun and was reproduced with permission.