Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have said they were involved in a “near catastrophic” car chase Tuesday night, prompting Eric Adams, the mayor of New York City, to invoke the memory of the death of Princess Diana, who was killed in 1997 while being pursued by photographers.
However, the NYPD dismissed suggestions of a perilous episode, and a taxi driver who picked up the Sussexes and Meghan’s mom for part of the alleged chase said it wasn’t a “like a car chase in a movie” and shrugged: “It’s New York.”
Nevertheless, The Times of London reports that Harry told friends it was the “closest I have ever felt” to comprehending what happened the night his mother, Diana, was killed.
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The couple’s spokesperson said the “relentless pursuit” after an awards party lasted over two hours and “resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers.”
The couple’s party, which included Meghan’s mother, Doria, sought refuge in two police stations as they tried to lose their pursuers before returning to a friend’s home at which they were staying, the Daily Telegraph reported.
The Telegraph, one of the few outlets with which the Sussexes’ communications team deals, said they left one police station in a taxi, to try and throw the paparazzi off their scent, but the ploy did not work and they were photographed in the cab.
After heading to another police station, they finally made it to their destination at around 12:30 a.m., having left the awards ceremony at which Meghan was being honored at 10 p.m.
Their spokesperson was quoted by the Telegraph as saying: “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 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.”
The couple, who are said to be “shaken but thankful” that nobody was hurt, are now appealing for outlets not to run pictures of the chase, with a spokesperson saying: “Dissemination of these images, given the ways in which they were obtained, encourages a highly intrusive practice that is dangerous to all in involved.”
A spokesman for the NYPD appeared to play down the severity of the incident, saying, “The NYPD assisted the private security team protecting the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. 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.”
Mayor Eric Adams appeared to agree, telling reporters: “I would find it hard to believe that there was a two-hour high speed chase.” But he said that even a 10-minute pursuit would be “extremely dangerous in New York City. We have a lot of traffic, a lot of movement, a lot of people are using our streets.”
He added: “I don’t think there’s many of us who don’t recall how his mom died and it would be horrific to lose an innocent bystander during a chase like this and for something to have happened to them as well. I think that was a bit reckless and irresponsible.”
The Sussexes sympathetic biographer Omid Scobie tweeted that the group “were involved in a terrifying paparazzi car chase involving six blacked out vehicles in a chase that could have been fatal.”
However, taxi driver Sukhcharn “Sunny” Singh told the Washington Post that they were followed only by a black Honda Accord and an older gray Honda CR-V when he was driving them.
“I don’t think I would call it a chase,” he said. “I never felt like I was in danger. It wasn’t like a car chase in a movie. They were quiet and seemed scared but it’s New York—it’s safe.”
Singh later added that the couple “didn’t say much ... They just asked my name and then after that Harry said thanks and have a good day.” He also said the couple “looked nervous,” per the Associated Press.
He added Harry and Meghan left a large tip–$50 for a $17 fare.
“It was pretty good, man,” Singh told the Associated Press. “They gave me a $50. I mean, when I’m going around the block that’s more than enough.”
A witness at the scene told the outlet that she saw the paparazzi becoming “pretty aggressive” with Harry and Meghan and that they were heckling the pair “and making these negative comments, trying to get a reaction out of them.”
“As they were leaving, just the way they chased the car, it just reminds you of all the other scenes you've seen in the past with Prince Harry’s mother,” the witness said. “It was just really upsetting. It was triggering for me, I can’t even imagine how it must have felt for them.”
The awards ceremony was Meghan and Harry’s first public appearance since King Charles’ coronation.
In a statement, the Ms. Foundation, which Meghan had accepted its Woman of Vision Award earlier in the evening, told the Associated Press that it was “absolutely horrified” about what happened and that “Everyone, especially the media, must do better.”
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