Claws out as Meghan Markle guest edits Vogue but stays off the cover

Meghan Markle's guest editing of British Vogue's September issue has been clouded by backlash and criticism. 

Some have questioned her choice of the women that feature on the issue's cover, while journalist and broadcaster Piers Morgan criticised the Duchess of Sussex for having time for Vogue but not for meeting US president Donald Trump.

"Two months ago, Meghan was reportedly too busy caring for her baby to meet the president of her own country on his state visit to the UK. Now we discover that she was preoccupied with the birth of another elitist production - Vogue magazine."

Meghan declined being featured on the cover, apparently saying that it would appear "boastful", reported E!News.

The title of the cover is "Forces for Change" and she selected 15 women she admires and whom she thinks embody this. 

PureWow and Newsweek report that her use of the word "boastful" landed her in trouble, after it appeared she was shading Kate Middleton, who appeared in the magazine's centenary cover in 2016. 

On social media, she has received a thrashing.

Some, however, defended her and said her decision to guest edit the magazine shows that she has more to offer than her looks and her status. 

The women who made the cover include actors Yara Shahidi and Gemma Chan as well as New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern.