After Kate’s photo scandal, Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry are now accused of manipulating a memorable photo. But a close friend of the couple jumps to the Sussexes’ side – and speaks plainly.
On British Mother’s Day, March 10, 2024, Catherine, Princess of Wales, 42, posted a beaming photo with her three children. It’s the first picture of Kate after her abdominal surgery in January. But a short time later, major photo agencies recalled the photo provided by Kensington Palace. The reason: The picture had been manipulated, and there were discrepancies in Princess Charlotte’s, 8, hand and hair, among other things. Finally, Prince William’s wife, 41, took a stand and explained that she had tried her hand at photo editing. “I would like to apologize for the confusion,” the statement said.
This matter caused a media outcry and spread widely. Now Duchess Meghan, 42, and Prince Harry, 39, are suddenly accused of cheating on an important photo of their family history – but their close friend and photographer of the picture in question, Misan Harriman, 46, immediately defends himself against the accusations.
Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry are accused of image manipulation
Misan Harriman was nominated for Best Short Film at this year’s Oscars, but came away empty-handed. Now the photographer, who was allowed to photograph the pregnant Meghan in 2021 and thus announce the pregnancy with Princess Lilibet, 2, is slowly returning to everyday life – and is immediately confronted with a violent headline. A new Daily Mail article says Harriman once confessed to manipulating the photo of Meghan’s pregnancy announcement.
“Apparently I exchanged trees and meadows, which I admitted in an episode of the podcast ‘Private Passions’,” says the 46-year-old in an Instagram video in which he rejects the allegations.
Photographer Misan Harriman speaks plainly: “Insidious and really dangerous”
The black and white photo in which the pregnant Meghan rests her head in Harry’s lap has not been changed. In the podcast, which was recorded in 2022, the Nigerian-British photographer explained to host Michael Berkeley which technologies he used during the corona pandemic and the lockdown. Berkeley then asked him “leading questions.” He then plays part of the podcast to ensure clarity. “My most famous virtual shoot is the portrait I took of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle when they announced their pregnancy,” Harriman says in the excerpt. He then explained how the technology he used had allowed him to take control of a phone so the Sussexes could hear his voice as he pressed the shutter.
“They weren’t really under a willow tree, they were lying out in a meadow, weren’t they?” Berkeley asks, and Harriman replies: “They were lost in their love at home in their garden. It was really a particularly joyful picture, to celebrate life itself.” Addressing his fans, Misan now emphasizes that only the presenter spoke of meadows and trees, not himself. “How this exchange could amount to me admitting to manipulating an image is insidious and truly dangerous journalism,” he states unequivocally, adding that the only thing that was changed about the photo was the black and white Color grade was – “that’s it”.
Sources used: instagram.com, dailymail.co.uk