Meghan and Harry dealt brutal blow by institution with close ties to Princess Kate
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have been dealt a brutal blow by an institution with close ties to the Princess of Wales.
The National Portrait Gallery has decided not to display a photograph it recently acquired of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
The black and white image, taken by photographer Misan Harriman, was added to the gallery’s collection in May 2024.
A spokesman for the gallery stated: “There are no current plans to display the portrait in the gallery.
Harriman, a friend of the Sussexes, captured the image during the One Young World summit in Manchester two years ago.
The National Portrait Gallery holds one of the world’s greatest collections of portraits.
The Princess of Wales is a patron of the institution, however, a gallery spokesperson confirmed that Kate has no influence over which portraits are added to the collection.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are not on speaking terms with the Princess of Wales as their bitter feud continues.
Meghan and Kate have not seen each other since Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in September 2022.
Prince Harry and the Princess of Wales both attended King Charles’s Coronation in May 2023 but they were not seen publicly interacting and sat in different rows in Westminster Abbey during the ceremony.
The Duke of Sussex is not the only member of the Royal Family who may be annoyed with the National Portrait Gallery.
Last month it was revealed that the gallery is considering an offer to display a photo of the Duke of York with Emily Maitlis following his career-ending BBC Newsnight interview.
Prince Andrew was forced to step back from undertaking public duties as a working member of the Royal Family after his disastrous TV interview with Maitlis aired in November 2019.
The royal gave the former BBC journalist a tour of Buckingham Palace following their interview, unaware at the time of the imminent backlash his answers to Maitlis’s grilling would trigger.
During the tour, photographer Mark Harrison took pictures of Andrew and Maitlis and has now offered a photograph of the tour to the National Portrait Gallery as a gift.
A spokesperson for the institution said: “The photograph has been offered to the Gallery as a gift by the photographer and the offer is being considered via our standard acquisitions process.”
A final decision will not be made until the gallery appoints a new chief curator.
