Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Pal Sparks Royal Debate After Sharing Pic of Prince Archie and Princess Diana on King Charles’ Coronation Day
Misan Harriman, photographer, and friend of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, wished the couple’s son Prince Archie a happy fourth birthday instead of acknowledging King Charles’ coronation day. However, this was no ordinary post. Harriman chose a photograph of Archie looking at a photo of his late grandmother, Princess Diana, to anchor his comment, sparking a royal debate among Harriman’s followers.
Misan Harriman used a photo of Prince Archie and Princess Diana as part of his birthday post
To celebrate Prince Archie’s fourth birthday, Misan Harriman shared a screenshot to Instagram from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s Netflix series. In the image, Archie is held by his mother, Meghan Markle.
“Wishing you the happiest of birthdays, Archie,” Harriman said. He posted a picture of Archie as a baby touching a photograph of his grandmother, Princess Diana. Meghan tells the little boy, “That’s your grandma,” in the heartwarming clip which aired as part of the docuseries Harry & Meghan.
Harriman is a longtime friend of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. He attended their 2018 wedding and reportedly introduced Meghan to the “mutual friend” that connected the actor and Prince Harry.
In 2021, the London-based photographer was asked to take a personal picture of the couple ahead of Meghan’s second pregnancy announcement. He has since documented important moments in Harry and Meghan’s life, including the first birthday of their daughter, Lilibet Diana.
Royal fans had mixed feelings about Prince Archie’s birthday post
Some royal fans had mixed feelings regarding Misan Harriman’s birthday post to Prince Archie. Some were in support of recognizing the little boy. Others used the comments section as a platform to express their feelings regarding the royal family.
“Happy birthday Archie!” wrote one follower in the comments section of Harriman’s Instagram post. “I find it so odd that today would be selected as the day for the coronation, the same day as the king’s Grandson’s birthday. He is basically asking Harry to choose between celebrating his son’s birthday or supporting his father.”
“Prince Archie, your darling grandmother ought to have been made queen yesterday,” wrote a second follower. “I applaud Harry going straight home to be with his wife and family after the service. Perhaps, if his Dad, King Charles, had been more family orientated, the People’s Princess to this day would be Queen Diana and not Camilla.”
“I see you Misan Harriman. I see the subtle (?) shade,” a third Instagram user penned.
A fourth fan agreed, “I think a birthday is not the point in this picture, but silly adult bickering is.”
Prince Harry managed to honor both his father and son on the same day
On May 6, Prince Harry arrived at Westminster Abbey to attend his father, King Charles‘ coronation. The event celebrated the formal ascension of the king.
However, Prince Harry also wanted to ensure he was present for his son’s fourth birthday. Therefore, he devised a way to be in two places on the same day.
As Great Britain’s time is eight hours ahead of California, Prince Harry could spend at least part of the day with his son. He left the coronation right after it was over and headed to the airport.
There, he took an 11-hour flight to California. With the time difference, Harry reportedly took a commercial flight with British Airways that landed at LAX at 7:30 pm, 3:30 am London time.
He made it home to celebrate Archie’s birthday with a homemade lemon cake. The sweet treat was reportedly made from lemons in the couple’s Montecito, CA garden.
Elements of this story were first reported by Elle.
