Washington: Meghan Markle recently added turning an editor to her list of many accomplishments after serving as the very first guest editor of British Vogue’s September issue.
The issue’s title is ‘Forces for Change’ and the content focuses on powerful women. Among the group of women are actors and models, politicians and authors, and advocates for everything from diversity and mental health to climate change and voting rights. The upcoming issue will also feature a candid conversation between Meghan and former First Lady Michelle Obama.
While the former ‘Suits’ actor doesn’t appear on the cover herself, the women she chose are front and centre. That wasn’t the only big decision she was making behind the scenes.
When planning the cover shoot for the fashion magazine’s September issue, the Duchess of Sussex had a specific request for photographer Peter Lindbergh, reported E! News.
Meghan gave Lindbergh special instructions before the women had their pictures taken for the issue: She wanted to see their natural freckles!
“My instructions from the duchess were clear: ‘I want to see freckles!'” Lindbergh told the magazine, noting he spoke to Meghan over the phone on the morning of the New York shoot.
“Well, that was like running through open doors for me. I love freckles,” he added.
In fact, it seemed like the royal and the magazine’s editor-in-chief, Edward Enninful, were in complete agreement about hiring Lindbergh for the job.
“It was one of those brilliantly spontaneous moments when HRH The Duchess of Sussex and I had exactly the same idea at exactly the same time,” Enninful said.
“Peter sees beauty in real people, in real situations. He makes everybody feel their best,” Enninful added.
Meghan’s request is a no stranger to the royal admirers. After all, the royal worked with Lindbergh for her 2017 cover story with Vanity Fair.
“I’ve always loved my freckles,” she told the magazine at that time, noting that she was “thrilled to work with Peter because he rarely retouches and he believes in such little makeup.”
“I gave him a big hug and said, ‘I am so excited to work with you because I know we will finally be able to see my freckles!'” she added.
Fans could also spot Meghan’s freckles on her wedding day. In addition, Meghan previously noted that having her freckles removed from a photo was a “pet peeve.”
“To this day, my pet peeve is when my skin tone is changed and my freckles are airbrushed out of a photoshoot,” she told Allure in 2017, as cited by E! News.
“For all my freckle-faced friends out there, I will share with you something my dad told me when I was younger: A face without freckles is a night without stars,” she added.
Meghan is the first person to edit a September issue of British Vogue. She didn’t appear on the magazine’s cover, but she helped choose the 15 “brilliant female changemakers” who did.
The women have all “had a laudable impact in recent times” and “are set to reshape society in radical and positive ways in the future.”
The cover stars include: Jane Fonda, Laverne Cox, Gemma Chan, Salma Hayek, Jameela Jamil, Yara Shahidi, Christy Turlington, Adwoa Aboah, Adut Akech, Ramla Ali, SineadBurke, Francesca Hayward, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Greta Thunberg and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
In addition, Prince Harry interviewed Dr. Jane Goodall for the upcoming issue. Fans can find the September issue on newsstands from August 2.