Prince Harry and Meghan photo added to National Portrait Gallery’s permanent collection

A photograph of Prince Harry and Meghan taken after they stepped back from royal duties has been added to the permanent collection at the National Portrait Gallery.

The portrait of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex holding hands and gazing into the distance was taken by Misan Harriman, the couple’s friend, at the One Young World summit in Manchester in 2022, two years after they stepped down as working members of the Royal family.

Announcing the news on social media, the couple’s favoured photographer said: “I am humbled and proud to announce that my portrait of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex is now part of the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery.”

He added: “Dare to dream folks!”

The Princess of Wales has been patron of the gallery since 2012. She undertook her first solo public engagement opening the Lucian Freud Portraits exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery and in June last year she reopened it after an extensive three-year refurbishment programme.

The photograph, which was signed by Mr Harriman, shows the couple preparing to take to the stage at the charity summit in Manchester.

Mr Harriman has been the couple’s favoured photographer for some time and recently accompanied them on their quasi-royal tour of Nigeria, which is his birthplace.

He is a renowned celebrity photographer and was the first black man to shoot a British Vogue cover in the magazine’s history.

Mr Harriman was also chosen to remotely direct the photoshoot for the couple’s pregnancy announcement for their second child, Princess Lilibet, on Valentine’s Day in 2021.

Speaking about the experience to Vogue, he said: “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.

“When you see people who have the connection that they have, it’s like reading the pages of a book.”

In a statement, the National Portrait Gallery said: “We are delighted to confirm that Misan Harriman’s portrait of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex is now part of our photographs collection.

“There are currently no immediate plans to display the work and, as it has just been delivered, it will need to go through our cataloguing process before it is available on our website.”