The new portraits of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were purposefully released shortly after Buckingham Palace published an image of the new ‘Fab Four’, which consists of King Charles, Queen Consort Camilla, the Prince and Princess of Wales, according to experts who spoke with MailOnline today. This was done in an effort to make the Duke and Duchess of Sussex look like a “power couple” in the midst of turmoil in the Royal Family.
Body language expert Judi James believes that one of the photos depicts Meghan in a role similar to that of a chief executive officer, whereas Harry appears to be in a sullen mood and strikes a pose that “you might see on Dancing on Ice as someone leads their partner out.”
The Sussexes wanted to show “they are not going to let go of their attempts to be seen as an alternative royal family,” royal experts predict, while royal experts predict the portraits are bad news for the Windsors.
Misan Harriman, director of the Southbank Centre and a close friend of the couple who was one of the few people invited to Lilibet Windsor’s first birthday party in June, was the celebrity photographer who took these photographs. The party was held in honor of Lilibet’s first year of life.
The couple is seen here attending the One Young World summit in Manchester, which was held for young leaders the previous month. In the first picture, Meghan can be seen wearing a red top and matching pants, along with a chunky gold ring and matching earrings. The duchess stands with her back to the camera, looking directly into the lens while grasping one of Prince Harry’s fingers. The duke is positioned at an angle behind her, smiling while dressed in a sharp black suit and tie.
The posture calls to mind the royal couple’s photo shoot for the 2021 issue of Time magazine, in which Meghan stood in the center of the frame while Harry stood at an angle behind her with a hand resting on her shoulder.
The second picture shows the couple standing next to one another, side-on to the camera, holding hands, and looking out at the audience. This picture was taken “just moments” before the opening ceremony of the summit.
According to body language expert Judi James, who spoke with MailOnline, the new portraits are intended to show the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as a “power couple” and “defiant” on their return to the United Kingdom.
In many of the photographs that the couple has made public, Harry can be seen standing behind Meghan in an apparent display of support.’ The Duchess is dressed and poses like a CEO, and her husband appears glum in the background despite the fact that there are tensions with his family.
Ms James said: ‘Proud, defiant and apparently inspired, Harry and Meghan seem to re-define the term ‘Power couple’ with this black and white shot. They ignore the camera here, with their eyes fixed on a more distant horizon. Their entwined fingers in their hand clasp lets us know they’re going ahead together although Harry’s rather dour expression is in contrast to Meghan’s optimistic and confident part-smile.
‘It’s Meghan to the front of the shot in the red outfit, standing leg-splayed confident and with a CEO-style part-smile. Harry’s pose is one you might see on Dancing on Ice as someone leads their partner out, with an index-finger only hold here. His smile looks like a direct nod of pride to the camera.
‘The signals of status and defiance could be a reference to their more low-key and lowered-status appearances in the UK recently. It suggests challenge and confidence and the hand clasp with the entwined fingers signal they will face all of that together.
‘Meghan is at the forefront of these poses but it was her conference. She looks the more dynamic though, with Harry’s focus on her as he seems to stand behind her slightly in a role of support’.
Royal experts have stated that the timing of the release is significant, and it may be a hint that a PR blitz is going to be coming ahead of the release of Harry’s memoirs and their Netflix show.
Tom Bower, an author and investigative journalist who recently penned a biography of Meghan Markle, stated that now that the Sussexes are back in California, it is clear that they have decided to go all out. ‘Now back in California, the Sussexes have clearly decided to go for broke.
‘These photos are the beginning of their renewed campaign to launch Harry’s book, the Netflix series and other lucrative appearances to re-establish their brand.
‘In the end, Meghan’s sight is fixed on maximising her income and nothing will get in her way. Without any sympathy for Charles and the Royal family, they are now set on promoting themselves and earn their living.
‘I expect more critical interviews and Podcasts showing an uncompromising attitude towards the Royal Family’.
According to the opinion of one more prominent royal journalist, the portraits “do not bode well for the near future.”
Phil Dampier said: ‘There is no doubt Harry and Meghan released these photos in direct response to the picture of the new King and Queen together with the Prince And Princess of Wales.
‘The timing is so obvious. In the photos they are trying to look royal and important with Harry wearing a smart suit and Meghan an understated outfit.
‘And the use of a black and white photo is an old trick dating back to the days of President Kennedy with pictures taken at the White House. Black and white is somehow more serious and statesmanlike in certain situations.
‘The overall impression is of Harry and Meghan setting up a rival court. And this doesn’t bode well for the near future.
‘We are told that Harry wants to tone down his book and the Netflix documentary on the couple out of respect for the late Queen.
‘But this tends to indicate they are not going to let go of their attempts to be seen as an alternative royal family.
‘Harry and Meghan are still waiting for the King to confirm titles for their children Archie and Lilibet.
‘Maybe this is their way of turning the screw and saying : “We haven’t gone away – when are you going to honour our kids?”.’
Misan Harriman, director of the Southbank Centre and a friend of the couple, is a celebrity photographer who took the photographs of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Harriman is also known for taking photographs of other celebrities, such as Rihanna, Stormzy, Tom Cruise, and Giorgio Armani.
The images were uploaded to his website late last night, days after an official portrait of the so-called “New Fab Four” (King Charles, the Queen Consort, the Prince and Princess of Wales) was made public. There was a time when William, Harry, Kate, and Meghan were collectively referred to as the “Fab Four.”
