The Duchess of Cornwall will appear in a special issue of Vogue magazine this summer to celebrate her 75th birthday.
Camilla’s photoshoot took place last week with a small crew of magazine staff and palace assistants, all sworn to secrecy.
A source said the session was arranged after several meetings between the Duchess and Edward Enninful, the editor-in-chief of British Vogue.
The source said: “Talks have been going on for months so this has been in the pipeline for a long time. The timing was carefully thought out and her 75th birthday felt like the right time.’
The Duchess of Cornwall will appear in a special issue of Vogue magazine this summer to celebrate her 75th birthday. Camilla’s photoshoot took place last week with a small crew of magazine staff and palace assistants, all sworn to secrecy. (She is pictured in a Vivienne Westwood dress at the London Palladium in 2013.)
Camilla, who turns 75 on July 17, is set to make the cover of the fashion bible, which also did an interview with her.
The high-profile presentation is seen as an important step in establishing the Duchess in the public eye as the future Queen Consort.
The Queen, who has said it is her “sincere desire” for Camilla to be known as such when Prince Charles takes the throne, is believed to have approved of the Vogue project.
Another source said: “Not only will it appear in the magazine, but it will obviously appear very prominently on the website so that a lot of people will see it.”
The Duchess is understood to have turned down the offer to fly in a team of celebrity stylists to help with the shoot.
Her attendance is taken as a show of support for Ghana-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, 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.
A source said the session was arranged after several meetings between the Duchess and Edward Enninful, the editor-in-chief of British Vogue. (They are pictured at London Fashion Week 2019)
The Camilla feature will be one of his most high-profile interviews to date, following a long-standing tradition of the royal family at Vogue.
The Queen first appeared on the pages in 1927 as a one-year-old on her mother’s knees. Princess Diana, Princess Anne and the Duchess of Cambridge were all cover stars, while the Duchess of Sussex guest-edited an issue of the magazine in 2019.
The April issue of Vogue featured two different covers – one showing a 1957 portrait of the Queen taken by her future brother-in-law Antony Armstrong-Jones, later Lord Snowdon.
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The Duchess of Cambridge captured in a relaxed, country pose by Josh Olins in June 2016; and Lord Snowdon’s 1957 image of the Queen, used in April to mark the Platinum Jubilee
In his editor’s letter for the issue, Edward Enninful wrote: “When I received my OBE for services to diversity in fashion a few years ago, I thought carefully about what the decision to accept it would mean.
“Ultimately, I saw an old institution that was embracing a program of change and if they had noticed my work and wanted to acknowledge my work as something worth stepping into the spotlight as my efforts were all about including underrepresented people spotlight, then I felt comfortable – even keen – to get involved.”
Camilla’s Vogue appearance will place her more firmly than ever in the center of public life, and many will see it as another step to ensure a smooth transition when Prince Charles becomes king.
After careful consideration, it 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 making 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 that you will give him and his wife Camilla the same support you have given me; and it is my sincere wish that when that time comes, Camilla will be known as the Queen Consort while she carries on her own faithful ministry.’
Both Vogue publishers Conde Nast and Clarence House declined to comment last night.
The no-nonsense Duchess refuses to be used as a drying rack
By ALEXANDRA SHULMAN, Former Vogue Editor
The Duchess of Cornwall has never seen herself as a fashion leader. But then again, she had no need.
As an attractive, self-confident woman, she has never used the latest trends to carve out an identity. Nor did she need her clothes to attract men.
But that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have her own views – and her very own style.
I remember as Vogue editor I hired Mario Testino to photograph Camilla and Charles for their first wedding anniversary in 2006.
Camilla insisted she didn’t want any clothes for her and brought her own. There was no fuss, she just knew what she liked and what suited her — and didn’t want to undergo a Vogue makeover.
Camilla has a good eye for color, writes Alexandra Shulman. Above, the Duchess in a sequined dress by Bruce Oldfield – and on the right, again in black and white by Oldfield
Above, Camilla is dressed for the Gloucestershire country. The Duchess of Cornwall has never seen herself as a fashion leader. But then again, she had no need
I applaud them for that. It’s hard to be in the public eye and not feel like you’re some kind of drying rack. She did not bow to this pressure and tried to change.
It’s a look that’s both polished, appealing, and elegant.
She loves the simple, reduced clothing of Anna Valentine and the femininity of Edina Ronay, both small British brands. Like any decent, upper-class Englishwoman, she loves her pearls.
She also has a good eye for color. She knows that a deep blue – like the Vivienne Westwood dress she wore to the London Palladium in 2013 – will bring out the color in her eyes.
She also tends towards icy colors – light blues, light pinks, shades of blush and cream, which suit her hair and complexion.
One of her greatest strengths is that she is happy in her own skin. I suppose that’s one of the things her husband admires most about her. (Above, the couple in March)
She always dresses boldly, but I suspect she’s happiest in informal country attire.
The Barbour jacket, Dubarry boots and corduroy trousers are far more Camilla’s style than the glittery dresses.
One of her greatest strengths is that she is happy in her own skin. I suppose that’s one of the things her husband admires most about her.
Times have changed since her last Vogue photo shoot. We now know that Camilla will be crowned queen alongside Charles, a prospect no longer in the distant future.
The stakes have also increased. There’s a lot more control over what someone wears in this position – and her choices will also tell us something about how she wants to be seen as Queen.
Will she stick to her own trusted wardrobe or will a new version of the Duchess of Cornwall emerge?
I suspect the former. She walks a fine line between staying true to herself while recognizing that she’s ready to step into a more scrutinized role.
Either way, the choice is hers—and hers alone.