When they announced the news that they were expecting their second child, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex included a black-and-white photograph of them in their garden of their new home—an intimate moment captured from thousands of miles away.
Misan Harriman, the Nigerian-born, London-based photographer, has known Meghan for years, and was personally asked to photograph the couple ahead of their pregnancy announcement on Sunday. The picture shows a remarkably relaxed and informal Meghan and Harry posing beneath a magnificent tree. Harry is barefoot while Meghan is lying in the grass, her head resting on her husband’s lap. Both are smiling, and friends have told Vanity Fair that the couple are “over the moon” to be expecting a second baby after their devastating miscarriage last summer.
Misan, who was a guest at Meghan and Harry’s royal wedding and is best known for his dramatic black and white portraits, said that it was “hugely exciting” to be asked to remotely photograph the couple at their Los Angeles home.
“This is a celebration of their love and their fortitude,” Harriman told Vanity Fair. “And although I was in England I felt like I was there with them. You can feel this image as much as you can see it which is a testament to their joy.”
The couple chose to release the picture and the news that they are expecting a second baby on Valentine’s Day because “it seemed the right moment,” according to a friend. It is understood to be a coincidence, however, that Princess Diana also announced her pregnancy with Prince Harry around Valentine’s Day in 1984.
Though he was thousands of miles away in Britain for the photo shoot, Harriman took remote control of the couple’s iPad and was chatting to them the whole way through the process, which he said was very “conversational.” He continued, “In the age of COVID, it’s impossible obviously for me to be there to shoot it, so technology came to [the] rescue,” he told Good Morning America on Tuesday.
Sources have told Vanity Fair that Meghan is well into the second trimester of her pregnancy and that it finally felt “safe” to tell the world the happy news. She and Harry also called the Queen and other family members, including Prince Charles and Prince William, before making the announcement public.
Referencing the couple’s miscarriage last year, Harriman said the couple hope that the picture of them will give hope to other couples who have miscarried.
“Particularly for the many women going through this, this should give them strength to know there’s light in that dark place,” Harriman told Good Morning America. “It really means a lot.”
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