The next issue of British Vogue will feature The Queen on its cover, to mark the Platinum Jubilee.
The cover will show the Monarch as a young Queen, wearing the George IV Diadem, in a portrait taken by her brother-in-law, Antony Armstrong-Jones, in 1957.
The special edition will look back on Vogue’s own unique relationship with The Queen during her historic 70 years on the throne, and will be a twin cover, meaning there is a second, different version available.
The other features ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ actress Anya Taylor-Joy, wearing a replica of the diadem.
The Queen features on the cover of British Vogue’s April edition
British Vogue’s editor-in-chief Edward Enninful writes: “People are forever asking me what the colour of the season is. Most of the time, they seem so disappointed when I explain that the answer is almost never definitive. But for the coming months, I am calling it: the colour of spring/summer 2022 is platinum.”
He references the Monarchy’s relation to darker histories and empire. “As we move ever deeper into the 21st century, for many people, and certainly any person born in a one-time British colony such as myself, the relationship to the British Royal Family can be complicated, to say the least.
“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 writes.
“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.”
The Queen first appeared in Vogue in 1927 when she was pictured at her mother’s knee as a toddler.
British Vogue presents a platinum salute with special twin covers for April 2022: https://t.co/43oUmj5c2n pic.twitter.com/H3bqwhWjFg
— British Vogue (@BritishVogue) March 23, 2022
This special jubilee edition also takes a look at Her Majesty’s fashion sense. Deputy editor and fashion features director Sarah Harris notes that the royal 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’.
It is an iconic image that the world recognises.
While reflecting on the royal’s wardrobe, managed by her dresser Angela Kelly, Harris recounts some of the tricks used to keep an immaculate wardrobe, including weights sewn into hemlines to prevent a breeze from lifting a dress, and the rigorous testing – twisting and scrunching of – fabrics before their purchase, to make sure it does not look dishevelled easily.
There is also a look back at the lesser seen images of Elizabeth over the years, including a pastel portrait of the young Princess, drawn by her aunt, Princess Marina, the Duchess of Kent, for her 18th birthday.
There is also a more relaxed shot from Prince Charles’ christening, which looks to have been taken in a moment of pause for the young mother.
The April issue of British Vogue is available via digital download and on newsstands from Tuesday 29th March.
