Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have dipped their toes into a variety of side hustles ever since leaving their Royal duties behind in 2020. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have dabbled in TV production, releasing a Netflix docuseries earlier this decade with a couple more shows on the way. Meghan’s started her lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, and Harry’s currently off doing his bit to help save the world with WHO and the UN.
Yet one area they apparently won’t be conquering anytime soon is the art world, after they’ve received something of an awkward blow after a portrait starring the two of them has been rejected by one of London’s finest art institutions. It gets even more awkward when you realize that none other than their sister-in-law, Kate Middleton, has close ties to the institution and serves as one of its patrons.
Harry and Meghan portrait rejected by gallery with close ties to Kate Middleton
The National Portrait Gallery has elected not to display a photograph of Harry and Meghan it acquired earlier this year, for unclear reasons. The photo in question was taken by photographer Misan Harriman, also a friend of the couple, during their appearance at the One Young World summit in Manchester in 2022. This May, Harriman gifted the picture to the gallery.
The gallery has now made its final decision on whether to display the black-and-white photo of the duke and duchess, though, and it’s not a particularly flattering one. “There are no current plans to display the portrait in the gallery,” reads the official statement.
Naturally, this has led to speculation that Princess Catherine had something to do with this decision, maybe even using her sway to veto the photo’s inclusion. The gallery has already nipped such talk in the bud, however. A spokesperson has maintained that the Princess of Wales has “no influence” over whether portraits are or are not added to the gallery’s collection.
Even so, it’s entirely possible that Kate did influence things, even if she didn’t meant to or was even aware she had. The gallery’s board may well have elected to side-step any potential ruffling of the Royal feathers that displaying a photo of the estranged Sussexes might have caused and so decided not to make use of their donated Harry and Meghan portrait.
A potential wish to avoid any controversy is also suggested by the fact that the National Portrait Gallery is likewise reluctant to display some photos it’s just received of Prince Andrew. Former BBC journalist Mark Harrison has donated the photos he took of Andrew and Emily Maitlis at Buckingham Palace during the Duke of York’s fateful 2019 Jeffrey Epstein interview. In contrast, however, the gallery has noted that these photos are being “considered” and a final decision won’t be made on them until a new chief curator is appointed.
If Prince Andrew, of all Royals, gets his face in the National Portrait Gallery but Harry and Meghan don’t then that will be one serious snub.
Published: Sep 24, 2024 08:06 am