Variety to postpone Meghan Markle's cover story as royal family mourns the Queen's passing

Meghan Markle's cover story for its Variety's forthcoming 'Power of Women" issue has been postponed out of respect as she and the royal family continue to mourn the late Queen Elizabeth II.

The magazine divulged on Thursday that the "Archetypes" podcast host's cover will not be available until further notice. This year's esteemed honorees include the likes of Hillary Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, Malala, and Elizabeth Olsen.

Variety wrote on Twitter, "Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, was chosen as one of this year's stellar honorees. The Duchess' cover will be postponed to a later date, out of respect for the recent passing of Queen Elizabeth II."

As Markle joins her husband, Prince Harry, in the royal family's ceremonial mourning events, she will no longer be able to attend the "Power of Women" issue's Los Angeles event on Sept. 28.

At present, the former Duchess of Sussex is in the UK, busy in preparations for the sovereign's state funeral on Monday. She and her husband were spotted holding hands at Queen Elizabeth II's procession on Wednesday and were met with disapproval from the public as they were no longer working members of the royal family.

It can be recalled that the pair once gave up their royal duties in January 2020 due to widespread media scrutiny and "double standards" within the family. They reportedly relocated to Santa Barbara County to escape the paparazzi and be close to their celebrity friends.

Body language expert Inbaal Honigman defended their controversial act of holding hands and said, "Harry and Meghan are grieving relatives and are under no obligation to follow royal protocol," body language expert in defence of the pair. Their hands are there to support one another emotionally during this loss."

Despite tension with the royals, Meghan Markle has only spoken highly of the late queen. "It's incredible, I think, you know, a) to be able to meet her through [Harry's] lens, not just with his honour and respect for her as the monarch, but the love that he has for her as his grandmother. All of those layers have been so important for me so that when I met her I had such a deep understanding and of course incredible respect for being able to have that time with her, and we've had a really — she's an incredible woman."