Sinéad Burke among the faces of British Vogue’s September issue, edited by Meghan Markle

In a first for the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle adds magazine editor to her list of titles as she edits British Vogue’s ‘Forces for Change’ September issue

Irish activist and fashion expert Sinéad Burke will be featured on the cover of British Vogue’s upcoming September issue, which is guest-edited by the Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle.

Burke, who is also a contributing editor of British Vogue, is just one of 15 faces to grace the cover, as part of their Forces for Change issue. The 16th spot on the cover is bare, representing a mirror to include the reader.

Each woman featured, which includes actress Jane Fonda, climate activist Greta Thunberg, model Adwoa Aboah and author Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche, were personally chosen by the Duchess, who is the first-ever person to guest edit the September issue of British Vogue in its 103-year history.

In a post on her Instagram, Burke said that she was “so very proud, incredibly honoured and humbled” to be featured in the issue, and grateful to the team at British Vogue for the inclusion. For the Forces for Change feature, the participating women were asked: “What changes do you want to see in the world?”. Burke answered: “We need to constantly be asking what voices are not in the world, which perspectives are not being considered, and make sure that change occurs with as much intersectionality as possible.”

Duchess of Sussex, magazine editor

Speaking about the experience of working with Meghan Markle, Editor in Chief of British Vogue Edward Enninful said: “To have the country’s most influential beacon of change guest edit British Vogue at this time has been an honour, a pleasure and a wonderful surprise.”

Working on this year’s September issue since January, Enninful and Markle settled on the final 15 women as “trailblazing female changemakers”. Enninful said: “As you will see from her selections throughout this magazine, she is also willing to wade into more complex and nuanced areas, whether they concern female empowerment, mental health, race or privilege. 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.”

The September issue of British Vogue is available on newsstands and digital download on Friday, August 2.

Featured images: British Vogue, Sinead photographed by Peter Lindbergh

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