According to a spokesperson for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, they were involved in a “near catastrophic car chase” with paparazzi in New York City on Tuesday night. The spokesperson stated that the chase, which lasted over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions with other drivers, pedestrians, and two NYPD (New York Police Department) officers. The statement attributed the incident to a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi.
However, two law enforcement sources informed CBS News that no one was in danger during the pursuit. They mentioned that the paparazzi followed Harry and Meghan as they circled, attempting to evade them and not reveal their location in the city. Eventually, the couple switched vehicles and managed to escape.
It is worth noting that Prince Harry and Meghan were in New York to attend the Ms. Foundation Women of Vision Awards, accompanied by Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland. According to Harry’s spokesperson, Ragland was also present during the chase.
Ziegfeld Ballroom
It happened after Harry and Meghan left the event at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in Midtown Manhattan, on their way to the Upper East Side, CBS New York reported. They eventually got out of their car and hopped into a taxi cab.
“I was crossing 67th Street and the security guard hailed me. And the next thing you know Prince Harry and his wife were hopping into my cab,” the cab driver, Sunny Singh, said. ” As we went a block, we got blocked by a garbage truck, and all of a sudden, paparazzis came, and they started taking pictures. And then… they were just about to tell me their location, where they were going to go, but then they told me to circle back to the precinct. So we circled back to the precinct.”
The NYPD said in a statement that officers “assisted the private security team protecting the Duke and Duchess of Sussex,” adding, “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.”
Celebrity news agency Backgrid USA confirmed at least four of the photographers pursuing the couple were freelancing for the agency.
“We want to clarify that we have received photos and videos of last night’s events from four freelance photographers, three of whom were in cars and one of whom was riding a bicycle,” Backgrid said in a statement Wednesday evening.
The agency said that according to its photographers, who it noted had “a professional responsibility” to cover public figures such as Harry and Meghan, there were no near-collisions or near-crashes. The photographers “had no intention of causing any distress or harm, as their only tool was their cameras.