Fans usually have to wait for special occasions – such as birthdays or christenings – to be treated to official portraits of the royal family. But every now and then, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex like to surprise by releasing a photo that isn't part of their official collection. Usually, the couple have taken the snap themselves. Harry is a talented photographer, like his sister-in-law Kate, and has photographed people, landscapes and wildlife in the past. More recently, his baby boy Archie, who was born in May 2019, has been his latest muse. Adorable! Let's take a look at Harry and Meghan's best unofficial photos…
On Father's Day in 2019 – Harry's first as a dad – the Sussexes posted this gorgeous sepia photo of their then six-week-old son. "Happy Father’s Day! And wishing a very special first Father's Day to The Duke of Sussex! © SussexRoyal," the caption read. Archie looked so sweet peeking out from behind his dad's hand.
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To mark Mother's Day in the US in May 2019, Meghan paid tribute to all the "mothers today - past, present, mothers-to-be and those lost" by sharing a sweet photo of their newborn baby son Archie. Although it is yet to be confirmed, it seems the picture was taken at the family's home Frogmore Cottage in Windsor, and that Harry was the person behind the camera!
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In the caption, the picture's credit featured "Sussex Royal" as the copyright. In the past, each of the account's images have been credited to the photographer who had taken them. Since this image has no name to the tag, we can safely assume Prince Harry was the snapper as Meghan posed with their bundle of joy. The picture, which was posted on the Sussex Royal's official Instagram account, saw the new mum holding her baby boy against a backdrop of Forget Me Nots - Princess Diana's favourite flower.
In November 2018, Prince Harry delighted the world over by sharing on @kensingtonroyal’s Instagram a photograph he had taken of his wife Meghan standing among the trees of New Zealand's Whakarewarewa Forest. The picture was even more special given that the Duke and Duchess had just announced they were expecting their first baby together and in the snap, Meghan could be seen cradling her baby bump. This was our first glimpse of Harry's unexpected photography skills. In the caption, the Duke and the Duchess of Sussex thanked New Zealand for "the most wonderful last week of our tour" adding that "it has been a privilege to meet so many friendly kiwis."
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In 2019, Harry uploaded a collection of wildlife photographs taken by himself to the royal couple's Instagram account. The Prince shared the never-before-seen snaps in a bid to raise awareness of environmental issues on Earth Day – and he definitely surprised with his ‘hidden skill’. The Prince invited followers to "scroll through" the selection of pictures which have been taken in Botswana, Norway and the forest in Guyana.
The first one showed a black and white photograph of a rhino, referred to as "Africa's Unicorn" resting its head on a fallen tree. The caption read: "These magnificent animals have survived ice ages and giant crocodiles, amongst other things! They have adapted to earth's changing climate continually for over 30 million years. Yet here are in 2019 where their biggest threat is us." Prince Harry has been complimented for his photography skills shown in the shot of a rhino, perfectly capturing the animal in an atmospheric picture in its natural habitat.
The images in the series are a mixture of colour and black-and-white. This shot by the Duke himself is a snap in colour of two feathers upright, appearing to be placed just away from the river delta in northern Botswana. The caption explained that: "Botswana's Okavango Delta sustains millions of people and an abundance of wildlife. Huge bush fires, predominantly started by humans, are altering the entire river system; the ash kills the fish as the flood comes in and the trees that don’t burn become next year’s kindling."
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In this snap captured by the Duke, two trees are pictured on the land in Botswana's Okavango Delta, the caption explained: "Botswana's Okavango Delta sustains millions of people and an abundance of wildlife".
They say that a picture can capture a thousand words and this beautiful snap certainly does just that. The caption for this photograph explains that: "Desert lions are critically endangered due partly to human wildlife conflict, habitat encroachment and climate change. 96% of mammals on our (world emoji) are either livestock or humans, meaning only 4% remaining are wild animals." This snap certainly provokes an emotive response, effectively showing the Duke's point of view.
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This photograph perfectly captures both Orca and Humpback whale populations swimming alongside each other in open water. Prince Harry explains that: "Orca and Humpback whale populations are recovering in Norway thanks to the protection of their fisheries. Proof that fishing sustainably can benefit us all."
This shot captures the forest in Guyana, with Harry explaining that "3/4" is forested. The soon-to-be-father explained that the reason this number is important is because there are "1,263 known species of wildlife and 6,409 species of plants." This, alongside the photograph highlights the impact of deforestation.
In this snap, pieces of rubbish, including plastic can be seen on a beach. The photograph captures the mix of damaging plastics on a natural setting and the caption details that "micro plastics are also ending up in our food source, creating not just environmental problems for our planet but medical problems for ourselves too."
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One of the most intimate and incredible photographs is of one of the 500 elephants that were relocated to another park within Malawi to "reduce the pressure on human wildlife conflict and create more dispersed tourism." The photograph shows a docile elephant in close contact with a man who appears to work for the African Parks Network, responsible for the relocating of the elephants to help manage National Parks and protected areas on behalf of governments across Africa. The caption ended with a plea from the Duke of Sussex for everyone to do a little bit to help the world we live in: "Every one of us can make a difference, not just today but everyday #earthday"