Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Photo Added to the National Portrait Gallery

The photograph was taken just three days before Queen Elizabeth's passing.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex arrive at the Lagos airport for Official State Welcome on May 12, 2024 in Lagos, Nigeria.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

A photo of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle is officially part of the the world's largest portrait collection.

On Thursday, May 23, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's frequent photographer and close friend Misan Harriman posted a slew of celebratory pictures and video on his personal Instagram account, announcing that a photograph he took of the couple is being added to the famed National Portrait Gallery's photograph collection.

"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," Harriman captured the post, which featured snapshots of the photographer with his now-famous photograph as well as the black-and-white photo itself.

In the portrait, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stand side-by-side, holding hands as they look forward and prepare to take the stage at the One Young World Summit in Manchester, England, on Sept. 5, 2022.

A post shared by Misan Harriman

A photo posted by misanharriman on

The photo was taken just three days before Prince Harry's late mother, Queen Elizabeth, passed away.

At the time the photo was taken, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had already stepped away from their roles as senior royals and relocated from the U.K. to California in the wake of continued threats and security concerns.

The pair had returned to the U.K. to attend the One Young World Summit in Manchester. After Queen Elizabeth died, the royal couple remained in England to attend the late monarch and royal family matriarch's funeral events.

According to a spokesperson for the National Portrait Gallery who spoke to People, there are no "immediate plans to display the image of Prince Harry and Meghan." Instead, the spokesperson added, the photograph will go through the gallery's cataloging process before it becomes available.

A post shared by Misan Harriman

A photo posted by misanharriman on

Harriman has captured many of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's most memorable milestones, including in 2021 when the pair announced they were expecting their second child, Princess Lilibet, as well as their daughter's very first birthday.

In February, the photographer told People that Markle "is really as a sister to me."

"I've been very lucky to photograph many special moments with her and her husband and her family,” he added.

Recently, Harriman accompanied the royal couple on their three-day trip to Nigeria. The photographer shared a series of photos of their trip on his Instagram page, including their visit to the Nigerian Armed Forces’ Defence Headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria and a portrait of Markle posing alongside Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-general of the World Trade Organization.

"It was such a pleasure to observe and capture the amazing bond and friendship that they have with each other," Harriman captioned the post.

Danielle Campoamor
Weekend Editor

Danielle Campoamor is Marie Claire's weekend editor covering all things news, celebrity, politics, culture, live events, and more. In addition, she is an award-winning freelance writer and former NBC journalist with over a decade of digital media experience covering mental health, reproductive justice, abortion access, maternal mortality, gun violence, climate change, politics, celebrity news, culture, online trends, wellness, gender-based violence and other feminist issues. You can find her work in The New York Times, Washington Post, TIME, New York Magazine, CNN, MSNBC, NBC, TODAY, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, InStyle, Playboy, Teen Vogue, Glamour, The Daily Beast, Mother Jones, Prism, Newsweek, Slate, HuffPost and more. She currently lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and their two feral sons. When she is not writing, editing or doom scrolling she enjoys reading, cooking, debating current events and politics, traveling to Seattle to see her dear friends and losing Pokémon battles against her ruthless offspring. You can find her on X, Instagram, Threads, Facebook and all the places.