Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and her mother Doria Ragland have been involved in a car chase after being followed by paparazzi.
A spokesperson from the couple revealed that the incident happened while they were returning home from an awards ceremony in New York on Tuesday.
“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,” they said.
“This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians, and two NYPD 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 in involved,” the spokesperson concluded.
Speaking to Variety, the New York Police Department confirmed that the incident did occur and that they had to assist Harry and Meghan’s private security team to protect them. Thankfully, no one was harmed during the dangerous car chase.
“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,” said a spokesperson from the NYPD.
Harry, Meghan, and Doria were attending the Ms. Foundation for Women’s 2023 Women of Vision awards which honoured Meghan and Black Voters Matter co-founder LaTosha Brown.It’s been almost 26 years since Princess Diana and her partner Dodi Fayed died in a car crash after allegedly being chased by paparazzi. It’s a pretty chilling comparison now that her own son has sensationally left the royal family and then found himself and his wife in a similarly dangerous situation.
Although thankfully there was no crash from the dangerous driving, it does lean into the narrative that they’re being persecuted by the media, which he heavily alluded to in his memoir Spare.Food for thought.
