Meghan Markle’s Controversial ‘Vogue’ Project Lives On

British Vogue has marked the fifth anniversary Meghan Markle’s 2019 guest-edited edition of the magazine that earned her backlash from critics.

Meghan became the first royal to guest-edit an issue of the fashion bible for its September 2019 edition, which she collaborated on with then-editor Edward Enninful.

The duchess chose to spotlight 15 high-profile women who she considered to be Forces for Change and included them on the cover shot by favorite fashion photographer, Peter Lindbergh, along with a mirrored square intended to represent the reflection of the reader.

The issue also included a personal interview conducted by Meghan with former first lady, Michelle Obama, and an interview with conservationist Jane Goodall conducted by Prince Harry.

It became British Vogue‘s fastest selling edition in history and was the biggest-selling issue of the past decade.

Now, five years later, the legacy of Meghan’s issue lives on. The publication has marked fifth the anniversary of the Forces for Change concept by asking the initial 15 trailblazing women selected by Meghan to nominate their own candidates for the honor.

Meghan’s original 15 choices were: Actress, Salma Hayek; Environmentalist, Greta Thunberg; Author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie; Model, Christy Turlington; Ballet dancer, Francesca Hayward; Boxer, Ramla Ali; Former New Zealand prime minister, Jacinda Ardern; Actress, Jane Fonda; Model, Adwoa Aboah; Actress, Laverne Cox; Model, Adut Akech; Diversity advocate, Sinead Burke; Actress, Gemma Chan; Actress, Yara Shahidi; and Actress and presenter, Jameela Jamil.

Among the women named in honor of the anniversary are Angelina Jolie, who was nominated by Salma Hayek, and Amal Clooney, nominated by Adut Akech.

To mark the anniversary, Edward Enninful, who has since transitioned from editor of British Vogue to editorial adviser, said that over the past five years Forces for Change has evolved and grown.

“It was about creating a movement, not simply a moment,” he said, per Vogue. “We have profiled countless activists, pioneers and change-makers and it is crucial that we keep this going—that we keep the spotlight firmly on those challenging the status quo, and use their voices to help shape the conversations around the most urgent issues of our time.”

It is not clear whether the Duchess of Sussex had any input in the anniversary celebration.

Newsweek approached representatives of Meghan Markle via email for comment.

Though Meghan’s Vogue issue was a commercial success, she received critical backlash online and in the media once it hit stands in August 2019.

In her 2022 royal biography The Palace Papers, former Vanity Fair author, Tina Brown described the Vogue project as Meghan’s “unexpected Waterloo” in her struggles with the U.K. press.

“The issue’s big reveal united every element of caustic British ridicule and confirmed the palace’s fears about wading into political territory,” she said. “What drew the most fire were the uniformly liberal convictions of the duchess’ chosen change agents—a ‘right-on roll call’ as The Times called the list.”

Two women who did not make the list drew notable attention, Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Kate.

Brown went on to add that: “The glossy package was seen as snotty piffle by the tabloids, a pious fluff package by upscale columnists, and a mystifying bore by traditional Vogue readers who would have preferred solutions for more immediate problems like where to find the best camel hair coat with a kimono tie.”

Speaking to The Guardian in the weeks after the issue was released, Edward Enninful noted that some of the negative response to Meghan’s work was both racist and personal. “Was the criticism racist? Some of it, yeah,” he said. “Actually it was more than racism … I thought it was personal, attacking someone you don’t know, attacking her.”

Meghan has continued her relationship with the Vogue brand into her post-royal life in the U.S.

When Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court in 2022, the duchess released an exclusive interview for American Vogue taking the form of a conversation on abortion rights with feminist activist and close friend, Gloria Steinem.

James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek‘s royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek‘s The Royals Facebook page.

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