The Duchess of Sussex pays tribute to photographer Peter Lindbergh

The Duchess of Sussex is paying tribute to famed photographer Peter Lindbergh in an Instagram post.

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Honouring the life and work of photographer Peter Lindbergh. His work is revered globally for capturing the essence of a subject and promoting healthy ideals of beauty, eschewing photoshopping, and preferring natural beauty with minimal makeup. The Duchess of Sussex had worked with Peter in the past and personally chose him to shoot the 15 women on the cover for the September issue of British Vogue, which she guest edited. There is no other photographer she considered to bring this meaningful project to life. • “Forces for Change” was the one of the esteemed photographer’s final published projects. He will be deeply missed. Photo © @therealpeterlindbergh / © SussexRoyal

A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on Sep 4, 2019 at 5:25am PDT

The German photographer passed away on Tuesday. Born in 1944, the 74-year-old worked with many fashion designers and international magazines throughout his career. Most recently, he worked with the Duchess of Sussex on the September edition of British Vogue where Meghan was the guest editor.

In the issue, the two worked to create images for the “Forces for Change” piece. A feature that highlights female activists, politicians and actors. Lindbergh was handpicked by Meghan to photograph the 15 featured women.

Just last month, Lindbergh spoke with Vogue about Meghan’s specific instructions for the cover of her guest-edited issue.

“My instructions from the Duchess were clear: ‘I want to see freckles!’ ” Lindbergh went on to add, “Well, that was like running through open doors for me. I love freckles.”

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We are proud to announce that Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Sussex is the Guest Editor for the September issue of @BritishVogue. For the past seven months, The Duchess has curated the content with British Vogue's Editor-in-Chief Edward Enninful to create an issue that highlights the power of the collective. They have named the issue: “Forces for Change” For the cover, The Duchess chose a diverse selection of women from all walks of life, each driving impact and raising the bar for equality, kindness, justice and open mindedness. The sixteenth space on the cover, a mirror, was included so that when you hold the issue in your hands, you see yourself as part of this collective. The women on the cover include: @AdwoaAboah @AdutAkech @SomaliBoxer @JacindaArdern @TheSineadBurke @Gemma_Chan @LaverneCox @JaneFonda @SalmaHayek @FrankieGoesToHayward @JameelaJamilOfficial @Chimamanda_Adichie @YaraShahidi @GretaThunberg @CTurlington We are excited to announce that within the issue you’ll find: an exclusive interview between The Duchess and former First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama, a candid conversation between The Duke of Sussex and Dr Jane Goodall, inspirational articles written by Brené Brown, Jameela Jamil and many others. Equally, you’ll find grassroots organisations and incredible trailblazers working tirelessly behind the scenes to change the world for the better. • “Guest Editing the September issue of British Vogue has been rewarding, educational and inspiring. To deep dive into this process, working quietly behind the scenes for so many months, I am happy to now be able to share what we have created. A huge thanks to all of the friends who supported me in this endeavour, lending their time and energy to help within these pages and on the cover. Thank you for saying “Yes!” – and to Edward, thank you for this wonderful opportunity.” – The Duchess of Sussex #ForcesForChange

A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on Jul 28, 2019 at 2:26pm PDT

A statement was posted to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Instagram on Wednesday paying tribute to Lindbergh.

“The Duchess of Sussex had worked with Peter in the past and personally chose him to shoot the 15 women on the cover. There is no other photographer she considered to bring this meaningful project to life.”

“Forces for Change” has been in the works since the beginning of this year. According to Edward Enninful, Vogue editor-in-chief, the Duchess chose to not feature herself on the cover. Instead, Meghan wanted to highlight female changemakers who were breaking barriers across the globe.

Enninful said, “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. 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.”

Lindbergh at studied at Berlin’s Academy of Fine Arts in the 1960s. He moved to Paris in 1978 and went to go on to photograph for Vogue, Vanity Fair, Harper’s Bazaar and The New Yorker. He has also worked closely with models Naomi Campbell and Cindy Crawford.

“Forces for Change” is one of Lindbergh’s final published projects.