Prince Harry, Meghan involved in ‘near catastrophic’ car chase with paparazzi in US

New York: Prince Harry and his wife Meghan were captured by photographers in their car as they left a charity event in New York City on Tuesday night, briefly taking refuge at a police station before taking refuge in a yellow cab . The chase and media frenzy evoked memories of the 1997 car chase through Paris that killed Harry’s mother, Princess Diana – although in this case, police said, no one was hurt.

The royal couple raised the alarm after their spokesman claimed on Wednesday they were followed dangerously by the paparazzi in a “destructive car chase” through the streets of Manhattan. That account prompted New York City Mayor Eric Adams to condemn the paparazzi stalking as “reckless and irresponsible”.

However, later, police stated that the chase was relatively short and resulted in no injuries, confrontations or arrests, and no further investigation was conducted. Still, it sidestepped the real security concerns surrounding the royal couple and the trauma caused by the death of Harry’s mother when he was just 12.

The cab driver who picked them up from the police station said he immediately recognized his passengers and that the paparazzi were “following us the whole time,” though he would not call it a chase.

Driver Sukhcharan Singh said, “He had this expression on his face.” “All of a sudden the paparazzi came out and started taking pictures.”

Police released a brief statement on Tuesday night confirming an incident involving the photographer and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, along with Meghan’s mother.

On Tuesday night in New York, the couple left Manhattan’s Ziegfeld Ballroom – where Meghan accepted the Ms Foundation’s Women of Vision Award with Black Voters Matter co-founder Latosha Brown – and passed by pedestrians and photographers. As the crowd boarded an SUV, according to videos posted on social media.

Harry and Meghan’s vehicle was then followed by photographers in a scene that his office said led to “several near collisions involving other drivers, pedestrians and two NYPD officers on the road.” The couple’s office called the incident “almost devastating”.

A law enforcement official told the AP that police intervened and, with the help of the couple’s personal security detail, took them to a police station about 18 blocks from the ballroom.

The couple spent several minutes at the police station waiting for the situation to subside. Once it was secure, they left in a taxi, according to the official, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the matter and did so on condition of anonymity.

“Being a public figure comes with a level of public interest that should never come at the expense of anyone’s safety,” the couple’s office said in a statement.

Bruce Kotler, president of the New York Press Photographers Association, said the way the photographers allegedly acted Tuesday night violated a basic photojournalism principle of covering news “as documentarians and observers” and violated the Code of Conduct. violated, to which their members and “any press photographer out of respect for himself and the profession” are expected to adhere.

The award presentation was Meghan’s first public appearance since she skipped her father-in-law King Charles III’s coronation earlier this month to be at home in California for her son Prince Archie’s fourth birthday. Harry attended the coronation.

The gala launched the Ms. Foundation’s largest-ever fundraising campaign — $100 million over the next 12 months — which will be used to fund the organization’s equity-focused initiatives and its mission to advance the collective power of women.

With her mother, Doria Ragland, in the audience, Megan spoke about how Miss Magazine was always in their home and how it influenced her worldview.

“It allowed me to recognize that part of my greater value and purpose in life was advocating for those who felt unheard, standing up to injustice, and not being afraid to say what was true and What’s right and what’s right,” she said, looking toward Ms. Foundation co-founder Gloria Steinem.

In a statement, Ms Foundation said it was “absolutely appalled” about what happened and that “everyone, especially the media, must do better.”

Harry, the younger son of King Charles III, and former actress Meghan Markle married at Windsor Castle in 2018. They stepped down as working royals in 2020, citing intolerable intrusion and racist attitudes of the British media.

Harry’s anger at the media has been building up for years. He blames the overly aggressive press for his mother’s death, and also accuses the media of harassing Meghan.

“My deepest fear is history repeating itself,” Harry said in a 2019 statement after Meghan filed suit against the publisher of the Mail on Sunday.

Harry has made it his mission to reform the press and is currently suing three British newspaper publishers over alleged phone hacking and other illegal snooping. Meghan wins an invasion of privacy suit in 2021 against the publisher of the Daily Mail.

Security has been an issue for Harry and Meghan since the British government stripped them of their security when they visited California in 2020 and it is part of their three legal cases against the government and the tabloid press.

The chase in New York came on the same day a lawyer for Harry argued in a London court that he should be able to challenge a government decision denying him the right to pay for police protection in the UK.

Harry has argued that his safety was compromised “due to the absence of police protection” during a short visit to the UK in July 2021, when his car was followed by photographers as he left a charity event. Were staying

After former President Donald Trump said the US government would not pay for their security, the couple said they raised their own money for their own security.

Cab driver Singh said it was one of the couple’s personal security guards who flagged her down while driving on 67th Street near the police station. Singh pulled the yellow cab over to stop and Harry, Meghan and her mother came over.

Singh said the royal family was about to leave when a garbage truck blocked their way. Instead, one of them asked her to take a detour back to campus.

A video posted by TMZ showed the couple in a yellow cab stuck in traffic several blocks away from the ballroom as photographers recorded them through windows. The cabs were being escorted by NYPD vehicles with flashing lights.

“He didn’t say much,” Singh said. “He just asked my name and then Harry said thank you and have a nice day.”

He paid $17 in rent—and left a generous tip.

“It was great, man,” Singh told The Associated Press. “He gave me 50 dollars.”

“I mean, when I’m going around the block that’s more than enough.”