Misan Harriman, Harry and Meghan’s pregnancy photographer, achieved fame by capturing the protests of the Black Lives Matter

Misan Harriman, Harry and Meghan’s pregnancy photographer, achieved fame by capturing the protests of the Black Lives Matter

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Free from the formalities that accompany the traditional announcement of the royal baby, Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, sought out a friend to reveal their news on Sunday.

The result was a discreet black and white portrait of the pair, looking into each other’s eyes in a winter sun, Meghan’s hand resting gently on a lump that was hidden from public view until now.

But for the photographer who captured the photo, the announcement of the Sussex’s second child was just the latest milestone in a history-making career.

Misan Harriman, a friend of the couple, said he filmed the image remotely on an iPad. Harriman lives in London, while the Sussex live in California after their separation from the British royal family last year.

Harriman's image was released on Sunday.

Harriman’s image was released on Sunday. Credit: Twitter / @ misanharriman

“Meg, I was there at your wedding to witness the beginning of this love story, and my friend, I’m honored to capture it growing up,” he wrote on social media after the photo was released. “Congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for this good news!”

Last year, Harriman became the first black photographer to photograph the cover of the all-important September issue of British Vogue.

The disclosure featured soccer player Marcus Rashford, the model Adwoa Aboah and several other prominent activists, and was titled “Activism Now: The Faces of Hope”.

It was a fitting task for Harriman, who only became a professional photographer in 2016 after a career in finance, and whose images of the Black Lives Matter protests put him in the spotlight in 2020.

“Through my lenses, I saw the beating heart of London,” Harriman told CNN journalist Christiane Amanpour in August, after a series of photos he took at protests in the city went viral.

One of them, which featured young English hockey player Darcy Bourne, in front of the United States Embassy, ​​holding a sign saying “Why is racism over a debate?”, Came to symbolize the city’s demonstrations over the summer.

Misan Harriman: ‘My images are about hope’

“It looks like the winds of change have finally blown in the direction I expected,” Harriman told CNN.

Both Harry and Meghan spoke in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, and Harry reflected on his own unconscious prejudice and on the British Empire’s historic acts in subjugating Black populations around the world.
“I had a wake-up call of my own, because I was not aware of many of the problems and so many of the problems in the UK, but also globally,” he said in October. “I thought so, but I didn’t.”

The couple’s photo was not the first time Harriman was called upon to present a real advertisement to the world.

In 2019, he captured Princess Beatrice of York and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, again in black and white, to accompany the announcement of the engagement.
“You can’t be nervous when things are so comfortable,” Harriman told Vogue of the experience. “I call my lenses seekers of truth, and that is exactly what was captured, two people who found their safe haven in each other.”
And his photograph of Harry and Meghan also resembled – intentionally or unintentionally – an official photo of their 2018 wedding, taken by Alexi Lubomirski. This image also shows the couple embracing, moments after getting married.

No expiration date was given in the couple’s announcement, but Harriman’s image showed a prominent lump.

“We can confirm that Archie will be an older brother,” said a spokesman for the pair on Sunday. “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are very happy to be expecting their second child.”

The announcement came almost exactly 37 years after Prince Charles and Princess Diana announced that they were expecting their second child – who happened to be Prince Harry.

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