The Queen has appeared on the cover of Vogue for the first time for an issue celebrating her Platinum Jubilee.
Queen Elizabeth II appears alongside “Hollywood royalty” Anya Taylor-Joy, who has a separate cover, for British Vogue’s April issue, with the outlet paying tribute to the monarch by looking back at its relationship with the 95 year old over her 70-year reign.
For the Queen’s cover, the magazine used a photo of the royal taken during her early years on the throne, in which she can be seen wearing the George IV State Diadem. Taylor-Joy’s cover pays tribute to the photo, as it sees the actor wearing a replica of the pearl-encrusted crown.
In an accompanying editor’s letter written by British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful, he reflected on his decision to accept the OBE for services to diversity in fashion.
“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,” he wrote. “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.”
In the April issue, the fashion magazine also pays tribute to the Queen’s royal fashion sense, with British Vogue’s deputy editor and fashion features director Sarah Harris praising the monarch’s often brightly coloured wardrobe, which she noted typically consists of “an immaculately tailored dress and coat that falls below the knee, accessorised with a matching hat,” and a “three-strand pearl necklace and heirloom brooch, smart Anello & Davide loafers, white cotton-jersey gloves and a glossy framed handbag by Launer, carried in the crook of her arm”.
While reflecting on the royal’s wardrobe, which is overseen by Angela Kelly, Her Majesty’s personal assistant, advisor and curator, Harris shared some of the royal family’s style hacks, which include weights sewn into hemlines to prevent a breeze from lifting a dress and “rigorously” twisting every fabric before it is purchased “to check it can withstand wrinkles”.
Elsewhere in the April issue, the Queen’s Gambit star, 25, spoke of her appreciation for dressing up, but her distate for red carpets. Explaining that she doesn’t “necessarily love the red-carpet experience,” Taylor-Joy said: “I, like, blackout when it’s happening. It’s so, so overwhelming.”
The Queen, who became the first British monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee, celebrated 70 years on the throne on 6 February 2022. In a speech marking the anniversary of her accession to the throne, the royal said she looks forward to “continuing to serve you with all my heart”.
The April issue of British Vogue is available via digital download and on newsstands from Tuesday 29th March.
