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

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Freed from the paperwork that accompanies a traditional royal baby announcement, Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, went to a friend to reveal their news on Sunday.

The result was a discreet, black-and-white portrait of the couple, staring into each other’s eyes under a winter sun, with Meghan’s hand gently resting on a lump that had hitherto been hidden from public view.

But for the photographer who captured the shot, the announcement of the Sussex’s second son was just the latest milestone in a historic career.

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

Harriman's image was released Sunday.

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

“Meg, I was there at your wedding to witness this love story and my friend, I am honored to capture her growing up,” she wrote on social media after the image was released. “Congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on this good news.”

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

This broadcast was attended by footballer Marcus Rashford, 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 images of the Black Lives Matter protests made him stand out in 2020.

“Through my lens I have seen the beating heart of London,” Harriman told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour in August, after several photographs he took at protests in the city went viral.

One, which featured English youth hockey player Darcy Bourne outside the U.S. embassy, ​​holding a sign that said “Why is ending racism a debate?”, Came to symbolize the demonstrations of the city during the summer.

Misan Harriman: “My images are about hope”

“It seems like the winds of change have finally blown in the direction I’ve been waiting for,” Harriman told CNN.

Both Harry and Meghan have spoken in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and Harry has reflected on his own unconscious bias and on the historical acts of the British Empire in subjugating black populations around the world.
“I had an awakening as such, because I was not aware of so many of the problems and so many of the problems in the UK, but also globally,” he said in October. “I thought so, but no.”

The couple’s shooting wasn’t the first time Harriman was called to present a real ad 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 their engagement.
“You can’t be nervous when topics are so comfortable,” Harriman told Vogue about the experience. “I call my goal the seeker of truth, and that’s exactly what was captured, two people who have found their safe haven to each other.”
And his photograph of Harry and Meghan also recalled, intentionally or unintentionally, an official image of the 2018 wedding, shot by Alexi Lubomirski. This image also shows the couple lying in a hug, moments after getting married.

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

“We can confirm that Archie will be an older brother,” a spokesman for the couple said Sunday. “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are delighted 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 was Prince Harry.

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