The new portrait of Prince Harry unveiled as the cover art for his upcoming memoir shows the royal in a "vulnerable and open" way, and was taken by the same photographer who recently captured striking images of his wife, Meghan Markle, Newsweek has heard.
Photographer Ramona Rosales is the artist behind the bold headshot portrait of Harry for his soon-to-be-released literary project titled Spare, and also the glamorous fashion photoshoot participated in by Meghan to run alongside an interview with Variety earlier this month.
Rosales is well-known for her celebrity portraiture, utilizing layered effects with soft and blurred focus. She is also known for her considered use of color, building pallets within her images to compliment her sitters.
Royal fashion expert and celebrity stylist Miranda Holder told Newsweek that the separate portraits of the husband and wife team conveyed very different messages while being linked through Rosales' unique aesthetic.
"The photos were taken in Rosales signature style with skilful use of light, giving the images a dreamlike, ethereal quality," she said.
"Harry and Meghan's skin has a luminescent glow and the full focus is on the eyes of the subjects, but that is where the similarities end.
"Meghan's close up has her looking off into the distance with a small smile, portraying her as optimistic and resilient despite all the attacks on her character, she looks confident and relaxed, as if she is looking forward to what the future holds."
"On the other hand," she continued. "Harry is gazing straight down the camera lens," she highlights, showing him to be "vulnerable and open. An invitation to the reader of his memoir that nothing will be held back, that there will be no more secrets and that all will be revealed within the pages."
Seven images of Meghan were released to run with her interview for Variety on October 19. In conversation with journalist Matt Donnelly, the duchess extensively discussed her involvement with the entertainment industry for the first time since marrying Harry and leaving Hollywood in 2018.
The interview acknowledged her past as an actress and looked forward to her new role as a producer and content creator.
Harry's memoir is a reflective look at his life story, an experience publishers Penguin Random House have called "raw" and filled with "unflinching honesty."
His portrait by Rosales it tightly cropped into his face, with wide eyes and minimal styling.
"The styling of the portraits between Harry and Meghan couldn't be more different," Holder observed.
"In Harry's, the image has been kept deliberately simple, the hint of an unassuming T shirt in shot, as well as his favourite dog-tag style necklace...His look is unassuming, redirecting our gaze straight into Harry's eyes. There are no fancy clothes to detract from the message here, Harry wants to set the record straight.
"Meghan however looks like a goddess, oozing polished Hollywood glamour offset by a touch of the whimsical as a result of the set and lighting.
"She looks perfectly at ease in her jawdroppingly expensive couture gowns as if Hollywood and the spotlight are her natural home," she continues. "Her petite frame offset by the structure of the garments portray her as powerful whilst also being unafraid to be vulnerable, embodying her femininity—a thoroughly modern icon."
The photographs contrast with the traditional style of royal portraiture usually engaged with by members of the royal family.
Even when compared to the 40th birthday portraits of the Princess of Wales released in January taken by fashion photographer Paolo Roversi, the Sussexes shots by Rosales highlight the differences between them and the rest of the royals.
"In comparison to the traditional Royal Portrait, these images are utterly ground breaking," Holder said.
"They are evocative, emotional and visionary, telling us far more about their subjects than the more formal, poised counterparts of which we are more familiar.
"These new images are far more engaging, more beautiful to look at and make the others look staid and outdated. Perhaps this marks the beginning of a new, more positive direction for the Harry and Meghan PR machine... only time will tell."
