A month ago, Edward Enninful announced that he would be stepping down as editor-in-chief of British Vogue. It was a surprise but not really – Enninful reportedly tried to angle for Anna Wintour’s job (EIC of American Vogue) but Wintour’s position at Conde Nast is too strong, so she took down Enninful. That’s one version of the story. Another version of the story is that Enninful wasn’t all that popular within Conde Nast or within the British Vogue office, and he knew he could make more money and have more freedom outside of British Vogue. I suspect that there’s some truth to both versions, honestly. All of this is happening as print media – especially monthly magazines – goes through a massive shift, and reportedly, Enninful wasn’t actually bringing in new subscriptions and he was alienating longtime British Vogue readers. Well, one month later and Page Six thinks they have some kind of scoop on the situation. They do not, but there are a few pieces of interesting gossip. Some highlights:

Enninful never had a shot at taking over from Anna Wintour: At 73, Wintour, who has been at the helm of US Vogue for 34 years and is also the Global Editorial Director of Vogue editions around the world, has no plans to go anywhere. “People have tried to doubt Anna, to take her down, and she’s amazing — she just keeps on going” said one person who knows her well. Another source close to Wintour told Page Six: “With regards to Edward’s hopes and dreams of Anna going, she’s not going anywhere!” “Anna has no plans to retire,” added a well-placed fashion source, who admitted that friends have told Wintour she should step back and relax.

Enninful & Meghan Markle? Still, some sources were keen to stress that Wintour did not engineer it as a step down for Enninful, although it certainly takes him out of the limelight he’s earned as editor-in-chief. During his tenure, he’s been celebrated for making British Vogue a beacon of diversity. Under his reign, British Vogue featured a transgender model, Ariel Nicholson, for the first time. Meghan Markle famously guest-edited the September 2019 issue, which was criticized for being too woke. “Edward hitched his wheels to Meghan Markle,” said the Wintour source.

Enninful in tears: Vogue was forced to deny a rift between Wintour and Enninful after she allegedly left him in tears by taking the plum spot next to the late Queen Elizabeth on the front row at Richard Quinn’s runway show for London Fashion Week in February 2018. It was the monarch’s first — and last — appearance at a fashion show. “The queen had never been to Fashion Week,” the fashion insider told Page Six. “It was a huge thing, and Anna got the photo op. Edward was blindsided. He was so upset at Anna, he was in tears.” On the day, Enninful went to Milan for a meeting, reportedly with Gucci.

Enninful saw himself as a celebrity: “There is no hatred, no animosity between Anna and Edward, they work together all the time,” stressed the source who knows Wintour well. “The real, bigger point is that Edward wants to do more … he sees himself as a celebrity… At the moment, Edward’s been limited to what deals he can accept due to Condé’s corporate policy, and he wants more,” said the Wintour source. “This is a clever way to keep him in the Vogue fold.”

Who will take over British Vogue? Enninful will leave British Vogue next year, as rumors swirl that Deputy Editor Sarah Harris could take over — or Vogue.com editor Chioma Nnadi, a popular Londoner based in NYC who is said to be firmly on “Team Anna.”

Wintour has mellowed? And as for Wintour, one fashion editor reported to Page Six that she has “mellowed” with age. Said another young fashion editor: “She loves talking to young talent and I think that’s what keeps her going.”

[From Page Six]

This is the part which makes me question the whole article: “Edward hitched his wheels to Meghan Markle,” said the Wintour source. Does Anna Wintour really believe that? Because A) Wintour would loooove to have Meghan on the cover of American Vogue and B) Enninful distanced himself from Meghan soon after her guest-edited issue came out in 2019. I mean, I see why Vogue people are still talking about a 2019 issue – it was one of the best-selling issues of British Vogue of all time – but again, Enninful made sure to distance himself from Meghan and cozy up to King Charles and the white establishment.

As for the larger issues between Wintour and Enninful…. I think they legitimately didn’t get along and they had professional beef with one another. But I don’t think Wintour orchestrated his downfall or anything – she had all the power and she had Enninful boxed in at British Vogue. It feels more likely that this was Enninful simply wanting to move on and do different things.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.