Camilla ‘to star as Vogue cover girl’

Coveted spot on page one of fashion bible is mark of public’s growing respect for Camilla

THE Duchess of Cornwall will appear in a special edition of Vogue magazine this summer to mark her 75th birthday.

Camilla’s photoshoot took place last week with a skeleton crew of magazine staff and palace aides, all sworn to secrecy.

An insider said the session had been agreed after several meetings between the Duchess and Edward Enninful, the British Vogue editor-in-chief.

The source said: ‘Conversations have been ongoing for months so this has been in the pipeline for a long time. The timing has been carefully thought through and her 75th birthday felt like the appropriate time.’

Camilla, who turns 75 on July 17, is expected to feature on the front cover of the fashion bible, which has also conducted an interview with her.

The high-profile exposure will be seen as a major step towards establishing the Duchess as a future Queen Consort in the public consciousness. The Queen, who has said that it is her ‘sincere wish’ that Camilla is known as such when Prince Charles ascends the throne, is thought to approve of the Vogue project.

Another source said: ‘It won’t just be in the magazine but obviously very prominently displayed on the website, so lots of people will see this.’

It is understood that the Duchess turned down the offer of flying in a team of celebrity stylists to help with the shoot.

Her participation will be seen as a show of support for Ghanaian-born Mr Enninful, who has championed diversity during his five years at the helm of the magazine.

Last year, he took on the role of global ambassador for the Prince’s Trust, which was founded by Prince Charles in 1976.

And last week, Mr Enninful hosted a gala event for the charity in New York, attended by supermodels Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, the Hadid sisters and Karlie Kloss.

The Camilla feature is set to be one of his most high-profile interviews yet and follows a longestablished tradition of the Royal Family appearing in Vogue.

The Queen made her first appearance in its pages in 1927 as a oneyear-old on her mother’s knee. Princess Diana, Princess Anne and the Duchess of Cambridge have all been cover stars, while the Duchess of Sussex guest-edited an edition of the magazine in 2019.

April’s edition of Vogue featured two different covers – one of which showed a 1957 portrait of the Queen taken by her future brother-in-law Antony Armstrong-Jones, later Lord Snowdon.

In his editor’s letter for the edition, Edward Enninful wrote: ‘When I received my OBE for services to diversity in fashion several years ago, I thought carefully about what the decision to accept it would mean.

‘Ultimately, I saw an ancient institution that was setting about on a programme of change and if they had noticed and wanted to recognise my work as something worth spotlighting, given the fact my endeavours were all about spotlighting under-represented people too, then I felt comfortable – keen, even – to engage.’

Camilla’s Vogue appearance will place her more firmly than ever at the heart of public life, and many will see it as another step towards ensuring a smooth transition when Prince Charles becomes King.

After careful consideration, she will appear in the magazine after the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee weekend in June, so as not to overshadow the landmark celebrations.

Earlier this year, the Queen publicly supported her daughter-in-law by issuing an extraordinary statement to mark the 70th anniversary of her accession to the throne.

On the eve of the anniversary of the death of her father, King George VI, the Queen said: ‘When, in the fullness of time, my son Charles becomes King, I know you will give him and his wife Camilla the same support that you have given me; and it is my sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service.’

Both Vogue publisher Conde Nast and Clarence House declined to comment last night.

‘Feature won’t overshadow Queen’s landmark celebrations’