A “near fatal” chase ensued in New York last night as Prince Harry, his wife Meghan Markle and her mother fled for two hours from paparazzi who were following them in cars through Midtown Manhattan.
“This relentless pursuit, which lasted for more than two hours, resulted in multiple near misses involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians, and two NYPD officers,” it reported. Daily Newsciting a spokesman for Prince Harry.
NYPD said no one was hurt, but Mayor Eric Adams criticized paparazzi for provoking the highway chase, calling it “reckless and irresponsible.”
Public safety must always be at the forefront. This is a densely populated city.”
Eric Adams, Mayor of NYC
“It’s clear that the press, the paparazzi, they want to get the right shot, they want to get the right story,” the mayor said at an unrelated news conference today. “But public safety must always be at the forefront.”
Harry, Meghan and their mother Doria Ragland climbed into a waiting SUV after the “Ms. Foundation for Women” at the Ziegfeld Ballroom on W. 54th St., Midtown Manhattan, and were followed by several photographers last night. The foundation was honoring Meghan with the “Women of Vision” award before the bizarre follow-up incident. During her acceptance speech, she encouraged women to continue fighting for equality.
Later the pursuing photographers, inside half a dozen vehicles with darkened windows, were seen driving on sidewalks and running red lights, according to reports. TMZ. One of the pursuing cars reportedly went the wrong way down a street.
Mayor Adams was skeptical that the chase went on for two hours. “I would find it hard to believe that there was a two-hour high-speed chase,” he said. “That would be hard to believe. But let’s find out the exact duration. But if it’s ten minutes, a ten-minute chase is extremely dangerous in New York City.”
“New York City is different from a small town somewhere,” he added. “You shouldn’t be speeding anywhere. This is a densely populated city.”
Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, was killed in a car accident in 1997 while being followed by paparazzi in Paris. For a long time, the prince blamed the death of his mother on the intrusion of the press.
Last night the prince’s van traveled east to the 19th Precinct police station on East 67th St., where the three of them and a security guard got into a taxi. But that trip was short-lived: they only went around the block before being dropped off in front of the police station again.
Members of the NYPD’s Intelligence Office were assisting Prince Harry’s security team when the manhunt began, the department said.
“There were numerous photographers that made their transportation a challenge,” NYPD spokesman Julian Phillips said. “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived at their destination and there were no reported collisions, citations, injuries or arrests.”
A spokesman for the royals described the photographers as “very aggressive paparazzi”. A video on Twitter showed the British royals leaving the event holding hands amid flashes from multiple cameras before getting into a waiting black SUV.
Reuters reported that some of the photos posted on social media involved decoy cars meant to take the photographers to another location when the couple left.
The prince currently has three ongoing lawsuits against British newspapers for hacking into his phone, including one in which he was expected to testify next month.