Meghan photographer denies doctoring picture root and branch
A CLOSE friend of the Duchess of Sussex has strongly denied claims that he altered an official portrait released to mark the announcement of her pregnancy in 2021.
The carefully curated black and white image of the Sussexes lying under a tree in their garden in Montecito, California, was taken by society photographer Misan Harriman.
It has been claimed it was taken in a meadow and that the large willow tree was superimposed behind them.
However, Mr Harriman, a “dear friend” of Meghan, denied the allegations, branding them “insidious” and “dangerous”. Responding to the claims on X, formerly Twitter, he said: “You’re kidding, right? It’s a real tree, nothing has been changed beyond the black and white grade.”
Mr Harriman took the picture remotely with an ipad from his home in London.
In 2022, he was asked during an appearance on the BBC Radio 3 podcast Private Passions how he had created the photograph and he said: “It’s amazing what you can do with technology.”
The presenter asked him: “They weren’t actually under a willow tree, they were lying outside in a meadow, weren’t they, Harry and Meghan, when you took the photograph of them?” Mr Harriman replied: “Yeah, they were lost in their love, at home, in their garden, comfortable, celebrating new joy.”
The claim that a tree had been superimposed prompted claims of hypocrisy after a source close to the Sussexes criticised the Princess of Wales for manipulating a family portrait. The source told the New York Post’s Page Six column that the Duchess would “never” make a picture-editing mistake and that the couple would have been “annihilated” for releasing a doctored family portrait.
The development came as a photographer who has worked with the Princess yesterday spoke in support of her as an “enthusiastic amateur” who only “tried to do what we do as professionals quite a lot”.
Chris Floyd, who photographed the Waleses at Kensington Palace in 2021 for their 10th wedding anniversary, said the Princess “doesn’t have the experience of a professional” but claimed her editing followed in a long tradition of royal portraits.
Mr Harriman said yesterday: “I suggest you listen to the podcast. I was asked a leading question by the host, I ignored it and spoke about the love my friends have for each other.
“How that can be turned into an article about me replacing trees is crazy.” In a video posted on his Instagram page, Mr Harriman said the suggestion he had “admitted” manipulating the image was “dangerous.” In a separate interview, he told Vogue: “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.”
There is no suggestion that the Sussexes edited the photograph themselves. A spokesman for the couple denied commenting on the Princess’s picture.