The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were involved in a “near catastrophic” two hour car chase while being followed by paparazzi in New York, the couple’s spokesperson has claimed.
Harry and Meghan were in the city on Tuesday with her mother, Doria Ragland, for an event at which the duchess received an award.
The three of them are alleged to have been subjected to a “relentless pursuit” involving half a dozen blacked-out vehicles.
In a statement on Wednesday, a spokesperson for Harry and Meghan said: “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.
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“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 couple’s statement did not specify who was driving their vehicle or where the alleged chase happened.
It is understood that Harry, Meghan and Ms Ragland were staying at a private residence and did not want to compromise the security of their friend’s home.
The trio had been at the Ms Foundation for Women’s 50th anniversary gala event which honoured “game-changing” grantee partners and visionary leaders committed to the organisation’s mission of “advancing collective power and creating safe, just and equitable futures for women, girls, and gender-expansive people”.
Meghan received the Ms Foundation’s Women of Vision Award, recognising her “global advocacy to empower and advocate on behalf of women and girls”.
It was Harry and Meghan’s first public appearance together since the duchess’s absence at the coronation of King Charles earlier this month.
Harry and Meghan are said to accept a heightened level of attention when they are at public events, and in this case they exited and entered the venue publicly, allowing photographers to get pictures.
It is said that traffic violations included driving on the pavement and through red lights, reversing down a one-way street, illegally blocking a moving vehicle and driving while photographing and while on the phone.
It is also said that while those involved were confronted by uniformed police multiple times, they continued the pursuit, and that there is footage taken from security along with other evidence to support these allegations.
The New York Police Department did not yet have a report available. But Mayor Eric Adams told reporters at an unrelated news conference Wednesday morning that he had been told that “two of our officers could have been injured” and condemned what happened as “a bit reckless and irresponsible.”
“It’s clear that the press, the paparazzi, they want to get the right shot,” Mr Adams said. “But public safety must always be at the forefront.”
The mayor said he expected to be briefed in depth later in the day, adding, “I would find it hard to believe that there was a two-hour high speed chase.”
But 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.”
Harry’s mother Diana, Princess of Wales was killed in a crash after her car, driven at speed by a drunk chauffeur, was chased through the streets of Paris by paparazzi photographers in 1997.
Soon after he began dating the then-actress Meghan, Harry attacked the media over its “abuse and harassment” of his girlfriend.
“This is not a game – it is her life,” Kensington Palace warned on his behalf in 2016.
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The incident in New York has taken place while Harry attempts to bring a second legal challenge against the Home Office over his security arrangements when in the UK.
Harry is seeking the go-ahead from the High Court to secure a judicial review over a decision that he should not be allowed to pay privately for his protective security.
The early stage legal action is among five other civil cases that the duke is pursuing through the court in London.
He is bringing a contested claim against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) over allegations of unlawful information gathering.
Harry is also waiting for rulings over whether similar cases against publishers Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) and News Group Newspapers (NGN) can continue.
A judgment is also expected over the duke’s libel claim against ANL – publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday – over an article on his case against the Home Office. - PA/New York Times