A joint-author of a best-selling coffee table book about ‘trailblazing women’ have hit out after Meghan Markle’s first guest-edited issue of British Vogue appeared to be very similar to their 2016 publication.
The duchess wrote an essay for ‘The Game Changers’ by former Art Director of British Vogue Steph Adams and journalist Samantha Brett three years before she helped edit the identically-themed Vogue September issue – titled ‘Forces for Change’.
Both publications feature 15 back and white photographs of trail-blazing women on the cover.
In a statement to MailOnline, Steph Adams said: ‘We understand that it has obviously been very difficult for the Duchess of Sussex coming from America as an actress and on to London, now a member of the Royal family.’
Former Art Director of British Vogue Steph Adams and journalist Samantha Brett have hit out at the Duchess of Sussex after her first guest-edited issue of British Vogue appeared to be very similar to their 2016 publication
‘But why is she not receiving the proper support on how to be a Royal? Her latest venture of been Guest Editor for British Vogue Sept, a desired position for many seems very common for a member of the Royal Family.’
She continued: ‘It clearly shows that she wants to have a voice and be heard, but It’s a very difficult thing for a member of The Royal Family to get involved in when some of her actions could be seen as politically incorrect.’
‘Isn’t there a Royal protocol that she should be following?’
She said never before had British Vogue used a grid style for the cover, adding: ‘It’s never been part of their style guide.’
‘The Duchess of Sussex is someone we all want to look up to, admire and respect. We love that she has ideas for change that are positive and that she is addressing issues such as diversity and kindness,’ they added.
‘But wouldn’t it have been more powerful if she just created a book and interviewed women and gave the money to charity?’
The latest issue of UK Vogue guest-edited by Meghan Markle appears remarkably similar to an Australian book about trailblazing women which the Duchess of Sussex helped to produce
The Duchess of Sussex wrote an essay for ‘The Game Changers’ by Samantha Brett and Steph Adams three years ago and helped produce the latest British Vogue issue ‘Forces for Change’
The pair worked on The Game Changers for several years to produce a best-selling charity coffee table book first published in December 2016.
The duchess was one of 15 women pictured on the cover of The Game Changers – which she personally approved – and was given multiple copies of the book.
And as guest editor she was also deeply involved in producing Vogue’s ‘Forces for Change’ cover which features 15 women she admires on the front.
It was the duchess’s idea that the 16th image on the cover be a mirror to ‘include the reader and encourage them to use their own platforms to effect change.’
Royal officials said the Vogue issue featured ‘trailblazing change-makers united by their fearlessness in breaking barriers.’
In a statement to MailOnline, one of the authors said they understand that moving from America as an actress and on to London, now a member of the Royal family has been a difficult transition, ‘But why is she not receiving the proper support on how to be a Royal?
A publicity blurb for The Game Changers from 2016 said it was about ‘fearless, trailblazing’ women who were changing the world.
Brett and Adams have been inundated with messages from people alerting them to the similarities between the two projects.
The first edition of The Game Changers sold out as soon as it was released at the end of 2016.
It featured on Good Morning America and in other international media coverage because its publication coincided with news Markle was in a relationship with Prince Harry.
The Game Changers was republished in November 2017 with more women featured on the cover and has continued to be a bestseller.
The duchess is the first royal to guest-edit Vogue, and the line-up of women she admired included celebrities, politicians and activists.
The September cover includes images of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, actress Jane Fonda, Australian model Adwoa Aboah and climate change campaigner Greta Thunberg.
Inside the magazine is an interview between the duchess and former US First Lady Michelle Obama.
The issue has already attracted criticism from some readers, with one online commenter tweeting it was ‘vacuous rubbish’ and another calling the magazine ‘absolutely awful’.
The magazine’s editor-in-chief Edward Enninful said the duchess chose not to feature on the cover because she believed it would be a ‘boastful’ thing for her to do.
Discussions about a collaboration between the duchess and British Vogue began in January and she worked with the editorial team for months on the special issue.
The Game Changers sold out when it was released at the end of 2016. It was republished in November 2017 (pictured) with more women featured and has gone on to be a bestseller