Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, were involved in a dangerous car chase with paparazzi in New York City on Tuesday night. The couple, along with Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, were leaving the Women of Vision Awards at the Ziegfeld Ballroom when they were pursued by photographers. The couple's spokesperson has alleged that the incident could have resulted in a "catastrophic" outcome, but ultimately, no one was injured.
The New York Police Department confirmed that the photographers made the couple's transportation "challenging," but there were no reported collisions, injuries, or arrests. The couple's account was partially supported by a local law enforcement source, who said that the couple was followed by a "swarm" of paparazzi after leaving the event. While the incident was dangerous, no one was hurt.
According to the couple's spokesperson, the altercation with photographers was prolonged and involved multiple traffic violations. The spokesperson said, "This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians, and two NYPD officers." Chris Sanchez, a member of the couple's security team, said the incident was alarming and that he had never seen or experienced anything like it.
The couple was scared, but relieved when they returned to the apartment where they were staying. The couple's spokesperson said that 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 urged the media not to publish photographs from the incident, as dissemination of these images encourages a highly intrusive practice that is dangerous to all involved.
According to the couple's team, the incident involved around half a dozen blacked-out vehicles with unidentified people driving recklessly and endangering the convoy and everyone around them. A local law enforcement source corroborated some of the couple's account, saying that a group of paparazzi followed Harry and Meghan in cars, motorcycles, and scooters after they left the event on Tuesday.
Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the incident, and the mayor of New York City, Eric Adams, called the incident "reckless" and "irresponsible." Prince Harry has been vocal about the security of his family and often highlights parallels between his wife's treatment and that faced by his mother, Princess Diana.
In the couple's Netflix docuseries, Harry pushed back against critics who have said the couple has a problem with paparazzi. He said, "Paparazzi still harass people, but the harassment really exists more online now. To see another woman in my life, who I love, go through this feeding frenzy – that’s hard. It is basically the hunter versus the prey."