In a “nearly catastrophic” car chase, “highly aggressive paparazzi” were chasing after Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, according to a spokesperson. Following the Women of Vision Awards, a charity event where Meghan accepted an award, at New York’s Ziegfeld Ballroom on Tuesday, it was reported that photographers were following the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. In the car with them was Meghan’s mother as well.
Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, are spotted in New York, New York, on May 16, 2023. An official for the couple stated that they were involved in a “relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours,” which “resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians, and two NYPD officers.”. According to NBC News, the statement said, “While being a public figure brings with it a level of public interest, it should never come at the expense of anyone’s safety.
The NYPD reportedly did not immediately comment on the circumstance.
The circumstances surrounding Harry’s mother Princess Diana’s tragic death in a car crash in 1997 while being chased by paparazzi in Paris sound eerily similar to this one. By moving to California in 2020, the couple publicly severed ties to the British royal family. Since then, they have made sensational claims about the way the family treated Meghan and the poisonous atmosphere that exists around the monarchy. They started funding their own security detail after that. Harry claims that the US government declined to provide them with a security detail when they moved to California. Harry has claimed that the absence of police protection made him feel threatened on his return visits to the UK.
Given that he’s lived his life in public scrutiny and that his own mother died due to relentless photographers, Harry has been a vocal critic of paparazzi and the British tabloids. He said to ITV in 2019 that “every time I see a camera, every time I hear a click, every time I see a flash, it takes me straight back.”. UPDATE: The NYPD and Mayor Erica Adams have both offered their opinions on the matter. The NYPD said they “assisted the private security team protecting the Duke and Duchess of Sussex,” according to a statement to The Independent.
“There were a lot of photographers, which made getting around difficult. There were no collisions, citations, injuries, or arrests in the area when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived at their destination. The chase was “a little reckless and irresponsible,” said NYC Mayor Eric Adams to reporters, according to the New York Times. Adams remarked, “It’s obvious that the press and the paparazzi want to get the right shot. “However, public safety must always come first. Even a ten-minute pursuit in a city like New York can be “extremely dangerous,” according to Adams, even though there wasn’t a “two-hour high speed chase” through the city.
The mayor stated, “We have a lot of traffic, a lot of movement, and a lot of people are using our streets. What a terrifying situation, but we’re relieved that Harry and Meghan are unharmed. It’s unsettling to consider that paparazzi might have almost brought about a disaster given their relentless nature. Please spread the word about this information.
