Town & Country Riding Royal Wedding Fervor With Special Issues
Town & Country is set to cash in on the fervent interest in Meghan Markle’s upcoming marriage to Prince Harry.
The more than century-old glossy is releasing April 12 a special issue titled “American Princess” focused on Markle’s independent past, including her carer as an actress which she gave up after her engagement to the younger English prince, and how she’s dealt over the last year with being on the world stage, something Town & Country’s editor in chief Stellene Volandes said is of clear interest to readers.
“Markle is someone who’s had a career and is someone who has been willing to speak about the causes she believes in and she has real life experience,” Volandes said. “We saw with Kate Middeton someone who embraced the royal traditions and understood the role, but also maintained her own [interests and personality]. From all the signs so far, Markle is someone who is exactly like that.”
The American Princess issue will sell on newsstands for $13.99 and 210,000 copies are being printed, and Volandes said she has “very high hopes” for sales. If all the issues sold, the magazine could pull in just under $3 million. The magazine also recently reported its highest print circulation to date.
And the web traffic doesn’t hurt either. Volandes said Town & Country has seen a “record-breaking” number of web readers around its coverage of Markle and the wedding. “There’s an insatiable appetite from our readers about this bride, this family, this wedding,” she said.
Town & Country is also releasing a follow-up special issue about a week after the May 19 wedding, covering all the details of the ceremony and related events, from food and flowers, to guests and the dress. About 280,000 copies of “Royal Wedding” are being printed, which if could bring in around $4 million in sales if priced at $13.99.
Volandes said she doesn’t know who the designer of Markle’s dress will be, but, despite rumors focusing on English houses like Erdem, Alexander McQueen — both closely associated with Middleton — and French designer Roland Mouret, one of Markle’s closest friends, she thinks it could turn out to be an American.
“She might choose a designer that represents her own background, but we’ll all be watching early to find out,” Volandes said. “This is probably the most modern of royal weddings we’ve ever seen and it will be interesting to see how her choices reflect that. I think they will.”
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