A spokesman for the pair stated that a "near catastrophic car chase" involving photographers featured Prince Harry, Meghan, and her mother.
 |
| Image Source - Google | Image by <br><a href= BBC News |
After the Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended an awards event in New York on Tuesday, the incident took place.
Their spokeswoman claimed in a statement that the "relentless pursuit" had place for more than two hours.
"Multiple near collisions" were caused by the chase, according to the statement.
The details could not be independently verified by the BBC.
The New York Police Department (NYPD) issued a statement in which it acknowledged that Prince Harry and Meghan were involved in an incident and said that several photographers "made their transport challenging."
The police stated that there were no reported injuries or arrests. Until now, Buckingham Palace has remained silent.
According to reports, there were six automobiles involved in the chase, and the drivers engaged in reckless driving that included running red lights, driving on the sidewalk, performing blocking maneuvers, and even reversing down a one-way street while still in motion.
Details of what appear to have been chaotic events in the midst of New York City are starting to emerge. The pair made an attempt to flee the paparazzi by traveling to a police station in Manhattan with Meghan's mother Doria Ragland.
the couple was staying at a friend's house and delayed their return to protect their security.
A yellow cab was waved down, and Harry, Meghan, Ms. Ragland, and a security guard were inside after deciding to take a New York taxi.
When photographers noticed the car and its passengers, they resorted to their own security cars.
The four passengers were picked up by cab driver Sukhcharn Singh, also known as Sunny, on 67th Street between Lexington Avenue and 3rd Avenue, he told the BBC.
Prince Harry and his wife got into his cab after a security guard honked at him, the driver claimed.
 |
| Image Source - Google | Image by <br><a href= BBC News |
"As we traveled a block, a garbage truck stopped us, and then all of a sudden, photographers appeared and began shooting shots. Just as they were ready to tell me where they were heading, they urged me to go back to the precinct instead.
They were described as "nice people" who "looked nervous" by him.
He said that he didn't believe the photographers were being "aggressive" and that he felt reports of a "near catastrophic chase" may have been overblown.
According to him, New York is the safest place to be since there are police stations and officers everywhere.
"[The paparazzi] were behind us, but they didn't approach too closely."
For the ten-minute trip, the passengers paid $50, he added.
around the security guard's request, Mr. Singh told the Washington Post that he picked up the pair around 23:00 local time and brought them back to the police station.
The couple hires private security when they are in the US, but Harry and his family are in the middle of a court dispute in London about whether they should hire Metropolitan Police protection while they are in the UK.
The couple's representative stated, "While being a public figure comes with a level of public interest, it should never come at the cost of anyone's safety."
Given the methods used to collect them, "dissemination of these images encourages a highly intrusive practice that is dangerous to all involved."
Harry and Meghan made their first joint public appearance at the Ms. Foundation Women of Vision Awards following the King's Coronation earlier this month.
At the occasion, LaTosha Brown, the co-founder of Black Voters Matter, and Meghan each collected an award.
It "could have" resulted in two police officers being hurt, according to New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who also said it "would be horrific to lose an innocent bystander during a chase like this."
Even a 10-minute chase in crowded New York would be "extremely dangerous," according to Mr. Adams, who said he "would find it hard to believe" if a high-speed chase lasted for two hours.
Although it was never said in Prince Harry and Meghan's announcement that there had been a two-hour high-speed chase.
According to Duncan Larcombe, the author of Prince Harry: The Inside Story, "something has gone extremely wrong" with Harry and Meghan's protection in the nation.
 |
| Image Source - Google | Image by <br><a href= BBC News |
For those who used to tend after Harry in the UK, "this will come as a huge surprise," he added. "Whether the paparazzi can still operate in this manner raises significant questions."
Princess Diana, the mother of Prince Harry, was murdered in a vehicle accident in Paris in 1997 while being pursued by paparazzi.
Prince Harry described the paparazzi as "a pack of dogs" that relentlessly pursued his mother in an interview with the BBC for the documentary Diana, 7 Days. Every time she left the house, a crowd would be waiting for her, he claimed. I'm talking about a group of dogs who followed her, barked at her, pursued her, and tormented her in an effort to provoke a response and capture a picture of her yelling.
Currently, Prince Harry is embroiled in a number of legal conflicts with the British tabloid press, including claims of phone hacking and unauthorized information collecting.
This week, the prince's attorney argued in court in London that the government's decision to prevent him from paying for police protection while visiting the nation should be overturned.
In 2020, the couple resigned from their royal responsibilities and relocated to the US; they said that part of the reason for their decision was persecution from UK tabloids.
It has been Prince Harry's "life's work" to fight for media reform. He will testify in a phone hacking case in a London court the following month.
