A source claims the Duchess of Sussex wanted full creative control over both US and UK Vogue covers for September 2022, leading to a reported fallout with British Vogue’s Edward Enninful.
May 25, 2025: Meghan Markle allegedly made “impossible” demands for her dream Vogue cover in 2022, which ultimately didn’t materialize, according to insider claims.
Sources told Page Six that Markle requested a simultaneous “global cover” for both the UK and US September 2022 issues—an arrangement that even global icons like Beyoncé have never secured.
In addition to the double cover, Markle allegedly wanted full creative control: choosing the photographer, writer, cover lines, final edit, and even the digital rollout. “Nobody gets that. Not even Beyoncé,” a source said.
Reportedly, Markle also tried to directly pitch her vision to US Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour in a Zoom call. But while Wintour agreed to the polite conversation, insiders say she had no plans to replace already confirmed cover star Serena Williams.
In the UK, Markle was in talks with then-editor Edward Enninful, who had already booked supermodel Linda Evangelista for the September cover. Unable to meet Markle’s lofty expectations, Enninful offered her a major feature story instead—an offer she turned down.
The fallout was reportedly severe. “Edward was furious to have lost the project, as were the powers that be at Condé Nast,” a source told the Daily Mail. Another insider added, “The whole process became very difficult. Edward could only promise her a big showy feature inside the magazine and online—but she turned it down.”
However, another source insists Markle never sought out a Vogue cover at all, claiming that the magazine had actually approached her several times since her royal wedding to Prince Harry. In 2019, she famously guest-edited British Vogue’s “Forces for Change” issue, declining the cover.
Ultimately, Markle did land a digital cover for New York magazine’s The Cut in September 2022, as she promoted her podcast Archetypes. She also had a delayed Variety cover that eventually ran a month after Queen Elizabeth II’s passing.
Despite reports of the “impossible” demands, some insiders maintain that Markle and Enninful are still on good terms, exchanging birthday wishes and flowers in private.
