© Peter Lindbergh

HRH The Duchess of Sussex has guest-edited a landmark issue of British Vogue with editor-in-chief Edward Enninful. Entitled “Forces for Change”, the September 2019 issue highlights a cast of brilliant female changemakers who are set to re-shape society in radical and positive ways. It is the first time a September issue of British Vogue has been co-edited.

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The cover has been photographed by Peter Lindbergh – his first for the magazine since September 1992 – and features 15 women from the worlds of politics, sport, and the arts, all of whom have made an inspiring impact on modern life. The selection of women was a highly personal process for the Duchess and for Enninful, and the result of a collaboration that began in January of this year.

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“These last seven months have been a rewarding process, curating and collaborating with Edward Enninful, British Vogue’s editor-in-chief, to take the year’s most-read fashion issue and steer its focus to the values, causes and people making impact in the world today,” the Duchess said. “Through this lens I hope you’ll feel the strength of the collective in the diverse selection of women chosen for the cover as well as the team of support I called upon within the issue to help bring this to light. I hope readers feel as inspired as I do, by the ‘Forces for Change’ they’ll find within these pages.”

Lindbergh, in London, captures New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, in Auckland, via video link.

The cover line-up includes New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who, in a first for the magazine and for Lindbergh, was photographed for the cover in Auckland, New Zealand via video link; the teenaged climate activist Greta Thunberg, lensed by Lindbergh in Sweden, who at 16 is one of the magazine’s youngest ever cover stars; the activist and actor Jane Fonda, who, at 81, is its oldest; and the LGBTQIA+ advocate, actor and producer Laverne Cox, who becomes the first trans person to feature on the cover of British Vogue.

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Also on the cover is Adwoa Aboah, the mental health campaigner and model; Adut Akech, the former refugee and model; Ramla Ali, the former refugee and boxer; Sinéad Burke, the diversity advocate and lecturer; Gemma Chan, the campaigner and actor; Salma Hayek Pinault, the women’s rights advocate, actor and producer; Francesca Hayward, the Royal Ballet principal dancer and actress; Jameela Jamil, the body positivity activist and actor; Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the author; Yara Shahidi, the youth voting activist and actor; and Christy Turlington Burns, the maternal health advocate and model.

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The 16th spot on the cover will appear in print as a silver reflective mirror, to show how you, the reader, are part of this extraordinary moment in time – and to encourage you to use your own platform to bring change.

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The issue also comprises an intimate insight into the Duchess’s world. She introduces Forces for Change in her own words in her guest editor’s letter, and also contributes an interview with the former First Lady Michelle Obama. Other highlights include an interview conducted by her husband, HRH The Duke of Sussex, with the renowned ethologist Dr Jane Goodall.

Read more: HRH The Duchess of Sussex Interviews Michelle Obama In The September Issue

The September issue of British Vogue co-edited by HRH The Duchess of Sussex is available for digital download now on the App Store and for Android, and on newsstands on Friday, August 2.

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