Harry and Meghan in terrifying 2-hour car pursuit by New York paparazzi

Prince Harry and his wife Megan Markle, along with her mother Doria Ragland, were involved in a dangerous car chase when their New York taxi was pursued by paparazzi after an awards ceremony on Tuesday, May 16.

On leaving the Ms Foundation for Women’s 50th-anniversary gala, Harry and Meghan reported being pursued by up to six vehicles through the streets of New York. Omid Scobie reported on Twitter:

“Last night, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Doria Ragland were involved in a terrifying paparazzi car chase involving six blacked-out vehicles in a chase that could have been fatal.”

https://twitter.com/Defenestrate123/status/1658858744086953984?s=20

But his claims were rebuked by Defenestrate in a reply on Twitter stating:

“NYC traffic on a Tues night, impossible to be “chased.” Where are the pictures? There are cameras all over NYC. Harry and Megan are embarrassed because they were caught being dropped in a taxi after they rented black SUV’s to look important. They don’t look worried.”

Nonetheless, the Duke and Duchess spokesperson’s statement read:

“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.

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 involved.”

It was reported that the couple were moved into the taxi from their black SUV by New York Police Department (NYPD) officers, in a chase that put the lives of pedestrians, police officers and fellow road users at risk.

Thankfully nobody was injured. It is believed that nobody was arrested despite reports of cars mounting curbs and reversing down one-way streets.

Ms Markle, The Duchess of Sussex, was handed the Ms Foundation’s Women of Vision Award for empowering women and girls that night at the Ziegfeld Theatre in Manhattan, where the pursuit began after the ceremony.