Prince Harry, Meghan involved in ‘near catastrophic’ car chase with paparazzi’ in New York

PTI, May 17, 2023, 8:42 PM IST

Meghan Markle, and her husband Prince Harry arrive to the observatory in One World Trade in New York, Thursday, Sept. 23, 2021. (Credit: AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

New York: Prince Harry and his wife Meghan were involved in a ”near catastrophic car chase” for over two hours involving paparazzi in New York, a spokesperson for the prince said on Wednesday.

The incident happened after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended an awards ceremony in New York on Tuesday.

Accompanied by Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, they attended the Ms. Foundation Women of Vision Awards. Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, was killed in a horrific car accident in 1997 while being pursued by paparazzi in Paris.

In a statement, the prince’s spokesperson said the ”relentless pursuit” lasted for over two hours, the BBC reported.

The statement said the incident resulted in near collisions with other drivers on the road, pedestrians and police 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,” the spokesperson said.

”Dissemination of these images, given the ways in which they were obtained, encourages a highly intrusive practice that is dangerous to all involved,” the spokesperson added.

The New York Police Department (NYPD) did not immediately confirm knowledge of the incident.

The incident is said to have happened after the couple’s first public appearance together since the King’s Coronation earlier this month.

Pictures that have appeared on social media have shown Harry, Meghan and her mother Ragland in a taxi, Sky News reported.

Harry, 38, and Meghan, 41, quit their royal duties in 2020 and moved to the United States partly because of what they described as intense media harassment.

The prince has long spoken out about his anger about press intrusion which he blames for the death of his mother Princess Diana, who was killed when her limousine crashed as it sped away from chasing paparazzi in Paris in 1997.