Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and her mother Doria Ragland have been involved in a “near catastrophic car chase” in New York, according to a spokesperson.
The Duke of Sussex’s spokesperson said on Wednesday that the incident involved “highly-aggressive paparazzi” and took place on Tuesday, May 16, in New York.
The New York Police Department later confirmed the incident, saying there were no injuries, collisions or arrests, and described the conditions as “challenging” for officers.
In a statement, the Duke of Sussex’s spokesperson said: “Last night, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Ms Ragland were involved in a near catastrophic car chase at the hands of a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi.
“This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD (New York Police Department) officers.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have regularly spoken out about how media intrusion encouraged them to leave their royal roles back in 2020.
Harry has also spoken out about his anger towards the press following his mother Princess Diana’s death in 1997. She died in a fatal car crash in Paris, while her vehicle was trying to get away from paparazzi.
The event reportedly happened when the three were leaving an awards ceremony in the US city held by the Ms Foundation for Women.
Meghan was recognised for her “global advocacy to empower and advocate on behalf of women and girls”.
They departed the midtown Manhattan event in an SUV at around 10 pm, and the chaos immediately unfolded. About a dozen paparazzi gave chase when the family headed to a friend’s house, and one hit a car while another nearly flattened a New York police officer, Page Six reported.
The source said the drivers also ran red lights, reversed down a one-way street and drove on the sidewalk.
CNN reported there were close calls but no car accident, citing a police source. Still, the source described the incident as dangerous and said police escorting the trio had to use evasive manoeuvres to escape the paparazzi. The source reportedly called the incident “annoying, inappropriate and dangerous”.
TMZ, which obtained partial video of the incident, wrote that the trio appeared to ditch the SUV and get into a cab for their getaway while police may have gone in another direction as a decoy.
The cab driver, Sukhcharn Singh, told The Associated Press that paparazzi continued to pursue them once they were in the taxi. However, he noted to both AP and The Washington Post that he wouldn’t characterise that portion of the evening as a “chase”.
A New York Police Department spokesperson said: “On Wednesday evening, May 16, the NYPD assisted the private security team protecting the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
“There were numerous photographers that made their transport challenging. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived at their destination and there were no reported collisions, summonses, injuries, or arrests in regard.”
New York City mayor Eric Adams told reporters he hadn’t received a full briefing yet, but he called it “reckless and irresponsible” for anyone to be chasing people in vehicles in the densely populated city. He added: “I would find it hard to believe that there was a two-hour high speed chase.”
According to BBC reporters, the entertainment picture agency Backgrid has announced that it is looking into the conduct of four freelance photographers who were involved in taking images of the couple.
The company did not entirely agree with the Sussexes’ statement, saying: ”“We understand that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s security detail had a job to do, and we respect their work.
“We do, however, want to point out that according to the photographers present, there were no near-collisions or near-crashes during this incident. The photographers have reported feeling that the couple was not in immediate danger at any point.”
Here is the full statement from Harry’s spokesperson:
“Last night, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Ms. Ragland were involved in a near catastrophic car chase at the hands of a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi.
“This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers.
“While being a public figure comes with a level of interest from the public, it should never come at the cost of anyone’s safety. Dissemination of these images, given the ways in which they were obtained, encourages a highly intrusive practice that is dangerous to all in involved.”
In a separate incident, police were also called to the Sussexes’ home in Montecito, California early on Monday morning. A man was arrested just after 2am, on suspicion of prowling near the property, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
Associated Press reports that it wasn’t clear if the man in question had entered the property. He was released on $2,500 (£1,982) bail after the misdemeanour arrest.