Harry and Meghan’s photographer friend Misan Harriman praises duke amid criticism of new Netflix series

Misan Harriman, a close friend of the Sussexes, said that ‘empathy and purpose can go a long way’

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s friend, the photographer Misan Harriman, has said that he is “proud” of the duke for his new Netflix series.

With their production imprint Archewell, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex released their latest docuseries last week, titled Heart of Invictus. The series follows Prince Harry and a group of veterans who are competing in the Invictus Games, a global sporting event founded by the prince that helps improve the lives of wounded service members.

Harriman, a close friend of the Sussex family and the photographer who captured Princess Lilbet’s first birthday, praised the couple and the Invictus Games itself for supporting injured veterans.

Sharing a photograph to Instagram on Friday (1 September), Harriman wrote of how “proud” he was of his friend Harry.

The photo, which was taken during the 2022 Invictus Games in the Netherlands, shows Prince Harry standing alone while dressed in a black shirt looking up into the sky.

“I’m so proud of this man and the incredible space of healing that is @weareinvictusgames,” continued Harriman.

“Countless lives have been changed through the very real sense of community that Prince Harry has built with the #invictusgames.”

“Empathy and purpose can go a long, long way,” the photographer added.

The post comes amid criticism from some viewers over the remarks shared by Prince Harry in the documentary that he did not feel supported after returning from Afghanistan.

While many fans have found the documentary a moving tribute to the stories of injured veterans and the impact of the Invictus Games, some royal fans have taken issue with Harry’s apparent “swipes” at members of the royal family.

In Heart of Invictus, the duke said he experienced an “unravelling” after he returned from his military tour in Afghanistan and lacked a “support network” to help him cope.

​​Harry admitted his “biggest struggle” after his mum died was that “no one around [him] really could help”.

He said: “I didn’t have that support structure, that network or that expert advice to identify actually what was going on with me.”

The duke said his return from Afghanistan unlocked suppressed grief that he was “never really aware of”.

He said: “Look, I can only speak for my personal experience, my tour of Afghanistan in 2012 flying Apaches, somewhere after that there was an unravelling and the trigger for me was actually returning from Afghanistan.”

Harriman has photographed Meghan and her family on a number of notable occasions, including a photoshoot when Meghan was pregnant with Lilibet and the child’s first birthday at Frogmore Cottage.

Harriman, who was the first Black male photographer to shoot the cover of British Vogue, told the publication in 2021 that Harry and Meghan were “absolute soulmates”.

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