The Duchess of Sussex has said she was "left speechless" by Michelle Obama's responses to questions about life and motherhood for British Vogue.

Meghan has guest edited the fashion magazine's September issue, the biggest of the year, and interviewed the former first lady as a special guest.

Image: The Duchess of Sussex spent seven months working on the issue

Called the Forces For Change issue, it features 15 "strong women" on the front cover, including climate activist Greta Thunberg, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Hollywood stars Salma Hayek and Jane Fonda.

Speaking about choosing her special guest, the duchess said: "My first thought was that it needed to be someone kind, inspirational, motivating, funny, with gravitas and as much depth as levity. My second thought: it needed to be Michelle Obama."

In her interview, Meghan asked about motherhood, and what advice she would give to her daughters, Malia and Sasha.


"What was sent back to me… left me somewhat speechless," the duchess said of the responses to her questions.

"A few 'simple questions' (which she could have answered with a sentence or two) were returned to me as a thoughtful, reflective and beautifully curated narrative - a gentle reminder not of how but of why she has become such a globally respected public figure."

Speaking about motherhood, Mrs Obama said: "Motherhood has taught me that, most of the time, my job is to give them the space to explore and develop into the people they want to be," Mrs Obama said. "Not who I want them to be or who I wish I was at that age, but who they are, deep inside.

"Motherhood has also taught me that my job is not to bulldoze a path for them in an effort to eliminate all possible adversity. But instead, I need to be a safe and consistent place for them to land when they inevitably fail; and to show them, again and again, how to get up on their own."

:: Listen to the Behind the Headlines podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker

The former first lady said she hoped her daughters would "realise a little earlier" than she did that "there is no prescribed path".

Asked what her 15-year-old self would say to her now, she said: "I feel like she'd give me one of those silent nods of recognition, you know? She'd remind me there are still too many girls on the South Side of Chicago who are being shushed, cast aside or told they're dreaming too big.

Image: Fifteen women chosen by the duchess feature on the cover

"She'd tell me to keep fighting for them. If I'm being honest, she'd probably smile about how cute my husband is, too."

Meghan said working on the popular magazine had been a "rewarding process" that she wanted to make sure focused on "values, causes and people making an impact in the world today".