It was quite the bit of news when we all learned that Meghan Markle was to become the first person to guest edit the September issue of British Vogue, but now editor-in-chief Edward Enninful is revealing why exactly the Duchess of Sussex decided not to appear on the publication’s cover.

According to Edward, 47, the former actress, 38, opted to steer clear of the cover, instead deciding to highlight 15 women who have made big impacts in society. “As you will see from her selections throughout this magazine, she is also willing to wade into more complex and nuanced areas, whether they concern female empowerment, mental health, race or privilege,” Edward said. “From the very beginning, we talked about the cover — whether she would be on it or not. In the end, she felt that it would be in some ways a ‘boastful’ thing to do for this particular project. She wanted, instead, to focus on the women she admires.”

Meghan Markle
Shutterstock

The Suits alum and Edward worked together for the issue entitled “Forces of Change.” Some of these women include former refugee and model; Ramla Al, campaigner and actor; Laverne Cox, Royal Ballet principal dancer; Jameela Jamil, Prime Minister of New Zealand; Sinéad Burke and other powerful women.

“To have the country’s most influential beacon of change guest edit British Vogue at this time has been an honor, a pleasure and a wonderful surprise,” Edward said, of working with Prince Harry‘s wife. So amazing!

edward enninful
David Fisher/Shutterstock

The new mom has already spoken out about her experience working on the iconic magazine, revealing how wonderful it was to do it while pregnant with her first child, Archie. ‘I was about five months pregnant when this process began, and by the time you hold this issue in your hands, my husband and I will be holding our three-month-old baby boy in ours,” the royal wrote in a candid letter. “It’s a very special time for me personally, on so many levels; working with Edward and his team, both during my pregnancy and my maternity leave, has played no small part in that joy — it has been a privilege to be welcomed and supported by this amazing team.”

We truly hope Meghan gets to have more experiences like this in the near future!