CNN
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Prince Harry and his wife Meghan were involved in a chaotic paparazzi car chase in New York on Tuesday night that could have resulted in a “catastrophic” outcome, their spokesman has claimed.
The Sussexes were hounded by photographers after leaving the Women of Vision awards at the city’s Ziegfeld Ballroom in a motorcade that also included Doria Ragland, Meghan’s mother. The couple was left shaken by the incident, though ultimately no one was hurt, their security detail told CNN.
Police said “numerous” photographers made transporting the Sussexes “difficult” but no collisions, injuries or arrests were reported.
According to the couple’s account, the altercation with photographers dragged on and involved multiple traffic violations. “Last night the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Mrs Ragland were involved in a near-catastrophic car chase at the hands of a highly aggressive paparazzi ring,” a spokesman for the couple said.
“This relentless pursuit, which lasted more than two hours, resulted in multiple collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers.”
A member of the couple’s security team, Chris Sanchez, speaking exclusively to CNN, said the incident was alarming. “I’ve never seen, never experienced anything like this,” he said. “What we were dealing with was very chaotic. There were a dozen vehicles: cars, scooters and bicycles.”
The Sussexes were scared but relieved when they returned to the apartment where they were staying, she said. “The public was in danger at several points. It could have been fatal,” Sanchez said.
He later added that the pair switched cars during the chase.
Selcuk Acar/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Prince Harry and Meghan say they were chased by photographers for two hours after leaving an event in New York.
In a statement, the New York Police Department (NYPD) confirmed the scheme of the Sussexes’ account, but described it in less colorful language. The NYPD “assisted the private security team protecting the Duke and Duchess of Sussex” on Tuesday evening and “there were numerous photographers who made their transportation difficult,” said Julian Phillips, the commissioner NYPD public information deputy.
“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived at their destination and no collisions, summonses, injuries or arrests were reported in connection with it,” it said.
The couple’s spokesman said that while “being a public figure comes with a level of public interest, it should never come at the expense of anyone’s safety” and urged the media not to publish photographs of the incident. “The dissemination of these images, given the manner in which they were obtained, encourages a highly intrusive practice that is dangerous for all involved.”
According to the account provided by the couple’s team, the incident involved half a dozen blackout vehicles with unidentified people driving recklessly and endangering the convoy and everyone around them.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
Doria Ragland, Duke of Sussex and Duchess of Sussex at the Women of Vision Awards in New York City.
A local law enforcement source corroborated part of the couple’s account, telling CNN that the couple was followed by a “swarm” of paparazzi in cars, motorcycles and scooters after they left the event on Tuesday. A New York Police Department (NYPD) security team followed Harry and Meghan in another car and was forced to do some evasive maneuvers to get away from the paparazzi, the source said.
Paparazzi on scooters and bicycles rode down the sidewalk to keep up, the source said. There were many close calls, including short stops between the front and rear of the cars, but none resulted in a crash, the source added.
The couple’s convoy was escorted to a police compound, where they were able to regroup, the source added.
Both King Charles’ Buckingham Palace and Prince William’s Kensington Palace told CNN they would not comment on the incident.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams called the incident “reckless” and “irresponsible.”
“You shouldn’t be speeding anywhere, but this is a densely populated city, and I think all of us, I don’t think there are many who don’t remember how their mother died,” Adams told reporters when asked about the incident in an unrelated briefing.
“Obviously the paparazzi want to get the right picture, they want to get the right story, but public safety must always come first,” Adams said.
The Duke of Sussex has spoken out about his family’s safety, often drawing parallels between his wife’s treatment and that of his mother, Diana. The late Princess of Wales died in 1997 after suffering internal injuries as a result of a high-speed car crash in Paris.
In the couple’s six-part Netflix docuseries, Harry dismissed critics who say the couple has a problem with the paparazzi.
“In my mother’s day, it was physical harassment: cameras in your face, you were followed, you were chased,” she said.
“The paparazzi still harass people,” he added. “But harassment really exists more online now. Once the pictures come out and the stories are put out there, then comes social media harassment. To see another woman in my life, who I love, go through this feeding frenzy, that’s tough. It’s basically hunter versus prey.”
