'African voices' make Meghan Markle’s Vogue list

The Duchess of Sussex is guest editing British Vogue's September issue, focusing on women who "break barriers". The cover features 15 women, including Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Somali boxer Ramla Ali and South Sudanese model Adut Akech. Meghan chose not to put herself on the cover, the magazine's editor-in-chief Edward Enninful said, as she felt it would be a "boastful thing to do".

The duchess said she hoped people would be as inspired as she was by the women featured in the magazine. The edition, entitled Forces For Change, highlights "trailblazing change makers, united by their fearlessness in breaking barriers", Buckingham Palace said.

Meghan, who gave birth to her first child in May, said she had spent the last seven months working on the project "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". She added: "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."

The issue includes a conversation between Meghan and former US First Lady Michelle Obama.

Enninful, the editor-in-chief, said Meghan was the first person to guest edit the September issue - traditionally considered the most important issue of the year.