Meghan Markle’s Vogue Cover Collapse: A 2022 Royal Ruckus with Satin, Sass, and a Hint of Chaos
Ladies and gentlemen, gather ’round. Let us journey back to the slightly feral year of 2022 — a time when eggs cost more than car payments, Elon Musk thought Twitter was a good idea, and Meghan Markle allegedly tried to run Vogue like a Bed Bath & Beyond clearance aisle. Yes, it’s time to discuss the Great Vogue Catastrophe of 2022, also known as The Duchess’s Fashion Fiasco.
So, what happened? Oh, only that Meghan Markle — Duchess of Sussex, podcast pioneer, and part-time tabloid tornado — reportedly made a set of demands for her Vogue cover so intense, they made Beyoncé look like a chill intern on decaf.
According to insiders, Meghan wanted not just a Vogue cover. No, no. She wanted to appear on both the US and UK September 2022 issues — because why settle for one throne when you can queen over two? That’s like going to the DMV and asking to be the director and the parking lot supervisor.
She also wanted creative control over, well, everything: the photographer, the writer, the editing, the font, probably the binding glue, and maybe the astrological sign of the person who typeset the captions. Essentially, she asked to do Vogue’s job better than Vogue. It’s the editorial equivalent of walking into a Michelin-star kitchen and demanding the chef hand you the ladle because you once saw a TikTok on how to sauté.
The Edward Enninful Drama: Vogue UK Gets Spicy
Now enter: Edward Enninful — British Vogue’s then-editor, fashion icon, and a man who somehow manages to wear sunglasses indoors without looking like an EDM DJ. Edward had already booked supermodel Linda Evangelista for the September issue. Because — newsflash — magazines plan things ahead of time. You know, like sane institutions with schedules.
But Meghan reportedly tried to reroute the entire issue like she was switching airline seats mid-turbulence. Edward, naturally, declined. Sources said he was “furious to have lost the project,” which in editor-speak is probably code for aggressively sipping tea and writing passive-aggressive emails in Helvetica.
And just like that, a potential cover and a friendship — both went the way of Meghan’s royal title: heavily debated and mostly symbolic.
Anna Wintour: The Ice Queen Doth Say No
When the UK cover idea imploded like a soufflé in a marching band, Meghan turned to the only person scarier than British tabloids: Anna Wintour — the editor-in-chief of US Vogue, whose bangs are legally considered a national landmark.
Apparently, Meghan Zoomed her directly (bold move), pitching the idea for a September feature. But Anna had already lined up Serena Williams for that spot. Serena — you know, the greatest athlete of our generation and Meghan’s friend. Oops.
Still, Markle reportedly asked for a second Zoom call to “reconsider.” Anna agreed — out of politeness, which is the fashion industry’s version of slowly backing away while making no sudden movements. Ultimately, Wintour passed. Even Vogue has its limits, and apparently, Meghan was playing creative Jenga without a permit.
The Digital Leftovers: Enter New York Magazine
Now, Meghan did get a digital cover in New York Magazine’s The Cut, where she promoted her podcast Archetypes by describing herself as someone who likes to make noise and drink tea (possibly not at the same time). She was also supposed to be on Variety, but that got delayed due to the Queen’s death — because, you know, timing.
But the big, glossy double-Vogue extravaganza? Yeah, that dream died somewhere between “full creative control” and “Anna Wintour’s polite smile.”
The Aftermath: Birthday Flowers and Instagram Ghosting
What happened after the fallout? Meghan and Edward Enninful reportedly “drifted apart.” One source said they exchange birthday cards — the adult equivalent of saying, “We still wave at each other in traffic.”
Meanwhile, Edward got even cozier with the actual royal family, interviewing King Charles III for Vogue and attending the coronation. As for Meghan, she got flowers for her birthday, which in PR language is like saying, “We’re not enemies… but I also don’t follow you on Instagram.”
In Conclusion: A Cautionary Tale of Couture and Control
So there you have it. The Meghan Markle Vogue Saga of 2022: a dazzling cocktail of ambition, bad timing, and the kind of “creative differences” usually reserved for boy bands and Nicolas Cage movies. It was less “Royals Reimagined” and more “Real Housewives of Montecito.”
The moral? Even in fashion — where capes are currency and attitude is mandatory — there are still rules. And when you try to bend them all at once, not even Beyoncé’s halo can save you.
