Meghan Markle and Anna Wintour shared a warm embrace at Paris Fashion Week, but their relationship hasn’t always been so cosy, with the Vogue chief reportedly left ‘furious’
Meghan Markle was caught on camera enjoying a heartfelt hug with iconic Vogue boss Anna Wintour at Paris Fashion Week – but was there more to their reunion than meets the eye?
The Duchess of Sussex flew solo in the French capital over the weekend – marking her first European visit in three years – as she attended the star-studded fashion extravaganza for the very first time.
There was no sign of her husband, Prince Harry, who was conspicuously absent as Meghan modelled an all-white look at Balenciaga’s Spring/Summer 2026 womenswear show on Saturday evening.
And years after rumours of a feud between Anna and Meghan surfaced, the pair were seen making nice for the cameras, with Anna telling Meghan it was, “Nice to see you”.
The two exchanged kisses on both cheeks before Wintour looked at Meghan’s outfit and uncharacteristically gushed: “Beautiful, Cherie. You look amazing.”
For some, the tender moment appears to have quashed persistent rumours of a rift between the two, following supposed tensions at Vogue surrounding Meghan’s alleged “demands”.
The Duchess assumed the position of guest editor for a British Vogue edition in 2019, and it vanished from shelves in just 10 days, becoming the swiftest-selling edition in the fashion publication’s entire history.
The Forces for Change edition saw Meghan spend seven months collaborating with former Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful, crafting an edition that honoured trailblazing, inspirational women. However, Meghan’s alleged “demands” to the Vogue team reportedly caused a rift between her and Enninful, with claims that she even approached Wintour after being told by Enniful that her requests couldn’t be accommodated at that time.
Meghan had been offered extensive coverage across the magazine and its digital editions, which would have included her speech at the One World Summit in Manchester.
But according to Page Six, Meghan sent Enninful a list of six conditions for the planned articles. “Meghan asked for control over [the] photographer, writer, final edit, photos, cover lines, and wanted a global issue,” a source revealed to the outlet.
“Nobody gets that. Not even Beyoncé.”
Meghan reportedly wanted to feature on the September issues of both the US and UK Vogue, but editors had already secured cover stars, making it impossible to fulfil her request.
Serena Williams, a close friend of Meghan’s, was set to grace the US cover, while supermodel Linda Evangelista was lined up for the UK edition.
Despite Enninful allegedly telling Meghan that her six demands couldn’t be met, the Duchess is said to have bypassed him entirely by approaching the formidable Wintour – the inspiration behind the iconic film The Devil Wears Prada – in an attempt to secure dual covers across both the US and UK.
“Anna wasn’t interested,” a source revealed to Page Six. “Meghan asked for a Zoom with her to reconsider, and Anna did it to be polite.”
When Enninful declined the Duchess’s requests, it reportedly caused a rift between the two, though insiders have differing accounts on the extent of the disagreement.
It’s reported that Meghan decided to cancel the entire feature that was planned after her demands were not met by either Enninful or Wintour, leaving Enninful “furious”.
According to the Daily Mail, a source said: “The Duchess and her team had high expectations and were expecting she might get a print cover or at least a digital cover out of it, but Enninful was not able to meet those expectations.
“He already had a magazine cover in the bag for that month. Edward was furious to have lost the project, as were the powers that be at Condé Nast.”
The source added: “The whole process became very difficult. Edward could only promise her a big showy feature inside the magazine and online – but she turned it down.”
They claimed that the incident has caused a significant rift between the Duchess and her former friend, and that they were no longer on speaking terms.
However, insiders have told Page Six that despite the disagreement over Meghan’s coverage in 2022, the pair maintain a “warm and respectful” friendship, even exchanging birthday wishes and occasionally sending each other flowers.
Nevertheless, analysing their Fashion Week meeting, body language expert Judi James says she suspects they’re not as friendly as they’ve tried to make out.
“Meghan’s greeting with Anna Wintour was much more like a top-drawer fashionista ritual,” Judi explains.
“Meghan’s rounded cheeks and her small gasp of fond recognition should have laid any rumours of a spat between the two women to bed for the foreseeable future, although everyone in the business knows that a fashionista air-kiss ritual will be used on friend or foe alike.
“Like the word ‘darling’ it means not one jot in terms of genuine affection or even liking in the fashion business. But at least they both looked keen to announce a friendship to the world here.”
While Meghan has yet to grace the cover of Vogue, her sister-in-law, Kate Middleton, has previously secured a spot. In 2016, the future Queen was invited to feature in the milestone issue celebrating 100 years of the magazine, with a multi-page glossy spread showcasing Kate’s love for the countryside.
Recently, rumours have circulated that Kate was offered a “global cover” at the iconic magazine, which would see her featured on both the US and UK covers. The Mail reports that she was given extensive editorial control, including the ability to “choose her own photographer, be in charge of fashion choices and decide whether or not to grant an interview,”.
The publication alleges that Wintour personally extended the offer. However, a month later, during an investiture at Buckingham Palace where she was made a Companion of Honour by Prince Charles, the fashion mogul responded to these claims with: “Yeah, I don’t know where those have come from, do you?”.
