Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were reportedly involved in a car chase with paparazzi in New York City, according to a spokesperson for the couple. However, the police and city officials downplayed the severity and length of the pursuit. The incident occurred after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended an awards ceremony in New York with Meghan’s mother.
The spokesperson claimed that the couple and Meghan’s mother were pursued by aggressive paparazzi, resulting in a near-catastrophic car chase that lasted over two hours. The pursuit allegedly involved multiple near collisions with other drivers, pedestrians, and two NYPD officers. A source close to the couple stated that they were followed by several blacked-out vehicles driven recklessly, endangering their convoy and everyone around them. The source also mentioned various traffic violations, such as driving on the sidewalk, running red lights, and reversing down one-way streets.
The New York Police Department acknowledged the presence of numerous photographers during the incident, which made transportation challenging. However, they stated that the couple reached their destination without any reported collisions, injuries, arrests, or summonses.
Prince Harry has had a troubled relationship with the media, attributing his mother’s death in a car crash in Paris in 1997 to press intrusion. He expressed his discontent with the media’s actions, emphasizing that the last thing Princess Diana saw before her death was photographers taking her picture. Harry and Meghan, who faced intense media scrutiny, stepped back from their royal duties and relocated to the United States in 2020.
Since their move, Prince Harry has been involved in several legal cases against British newspaper publishers. Last week, the publisher of The Mirror apologized to him, and he is pursuing claims against the publishers of The Sun and the Daily Mail. The couple’s spokesperson emphasized that while public figures attract public interest, it should never come at the expense of safety. Dissemination of the obtained images was criticized for encouraging a dangerous and intrusive practice.
Reports suggest that the couple attempted to evade the paparazzi by taking a taxi, but Mayor Eric Adams expressed doubts about the reported two-hour high-speed chase, stating that even a 10-minute chase would be extremely dangerous in New York City.
Prince Harry recently published his memoir, “Spare,” in which he criticized other members of the royal family. The book, along with subsequent interviews, unveiled strained relationships within the family. Harry attended his father’s coronation without Meghan, who remained in California with their children.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have their private security team in the United States but lost taxpayer-funded protection after leaving Britain. They are currently challenging this decision in British courts.
