For years before royal family Photoshop allegations, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle entrusted acclaimed photographer Misan Harriman to capture their family portraits.
“Meg reminded me that had I not introduced her to a mutual friend then she wouldn’t have met Harry. I’m grateful for whatever small part I played,” Harriman told Vogue in 2022.
Harriman first took photos for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex during Meghan’s second pregnancy. The couple announced in February 2021 that they were expecting their rainbow baby after a previous miscarriage by sharing a photo taken by Harriman.
“With the tree of life behind them and the garden representing fertility, life and moving forward, they didn’t need any direction, because they are, and always have been, waltzing through life together as absolute soulmates,” he added to Vogue of the pic he took virtually via iPad camera amid the coronavirus pandemic lockdown.
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The photos resurfaced three years later in March 2024 when Harriman was accused of doctoring the images to add in the trees following Princess Kate Middleton’s own editing admissions. (Kate, Harry’s sister-in-law, said earlier in March that she “experimented” with photo editing tools on a family photo that sparked backlash.)
To silence the online chatter about whether he doctored the 2021 pic, Harriman shared the original photo from his iPad after he was questioned over adding a willow tree to the background.
“No trees or meadows were moved or swapped, this is the image straight out of camera,” he wrote via Instagram. “Also that is a Jacaranda Tree, not a willow tree.”
Keep scrolling to learn more about Harriman’s bond with Harry and Meghan:
February 2021
“You don’t even see the image, you feel it,” Harriman gushed to Good Morning America about the pregnancy reveal snap. “They are lost in each other. And the tree in the background and just life growing around them is incredibly powerful and symbolic. … It really means a lot.”
Harriman was not able to physically be around Harry and Meghan at the time due to the pandemic.
“In the age of COVID, it’s impossible obviously for me to be there to shoot it, so technology came to the rescue,” he said on GMA. “I was able to remotely take over the iPad and they could hear my voice and it was conversational and the rest really is history.”
April 2022
Harriman joined Harry at the Invictus Games at the Hague.
“I had an amazing day yesterday, I am looking forward to watching the cycling and basketball today, followed by the closing ceremony this evening,” Harriman gushed via Instagram.
One year later, Harriman shared another portrait from the event. He captioned his post “I’m so proud of this man and the incredible space of healing that is @weareinvictusgames. Countless lives have been changed through the very real sense of community that Prince Harry has built with the #invictusgames.”
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June 2022
Harry and Meghan publicly shared the first photo of Lilibet’s face when she turned 1 year old. The pic was snapped by Harriman at an intimate party at Frogmore Cottage in the U.K. (Harry, Meghan and Archie previously lived in the royal residence full-time before their 2020 move across the pond when they stepped down from their regal duties.)
“It was such a privilege to celebrate the 1st birthday of Lilibet with my family and hers! Joy and face painting all around,” Harriman wrote via X at the time.
Misan Harriman, and Meghan Markle.
December 2023
Meghan moderated a panel screening for Harriman’s short film The After, where she explained how the photographer bonded with Archie.
“The inspiration runs deep. Misan was showing him how to do photography the last time he was with us,” she said. “I bought Archie a camera, and he said, ‘But it’s not a Leica like Misan.’ I said, ‘You are not getting a Leica! Not even for Christmas.’”
February 2024
Harriman later told People that he was grateful for Meghan’s support of his directorial debut.
“She is really [like] a sister to me,” he gushed. “I mean, her taste is impeccable. She is someone that looks for great depth of meaning and intention in what she engages in. And I believe she felt that in this film. … To have her recognize this work is just something I’m really proud of. And I’m deeply thankful as well… little old me trying to get into this world that she knows so well.”
May 2024
Harriman revealed that his portrait of the duke and duchess was now part of the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery.
“As I’ve said before I am a dyslexic boy who never really believed my mind was worth much and it’s in moments like this that I give the message to the rest of the world that your kids or even yourself can have a point of view,” he said in an Instagram video sharing the news. “Dare to dream, and keep taking pictures.”