Prince Harry and Meghan Markle went through something horrific recently.
It has been revealed that the couple was involved in a “near catastrophic car chase” on Tuesday after the 2023 Ms. Foundation Women Of Vision Awards. The Duchess was honored with one of the Women of Vision Awards that evening.
Also in the car with them was Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland.
A spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess released a statement relaying what they went through. The statement read:
“Last night, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Ms. Ragland were involved in a near catastrophic car chase at the hands of a 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 spokesperson went on to say:
“Dissemination of these images, given the ways in which they were obtained, encourages a highly intrusive practice that is dangerous to all involved.”
Safety and security have always been top priority for the Duke and Duchess. Prince Hary’s mother Princess Diana was involved in a fatal car crash due to a paparazzi chase.
NYC Mayor Eric Adams also released a statement about the incident, saying:
“It’s clear that the press, paparazzis, they want to get the right shot, they want to get the right story, but public safety must always be at the forefront. Two of our officers could have been injured. New York City is different from a small town somewhere. You shouldn’t be speeding anywhere, but this is a densely populated city and I think all of us … I don’t think there’s many of us who don’t recall how [Prince Harry’s] mom died and it would be horrific to lose innocent bystanders during a chase like this, and something to have happened to them as well, so I think we have to be extremely responsible.
I would find it hard to believe there was a two-hour high-speed chase. We have a lot of traffic, a lot of movement, a lot of people are using our streets. Any type of high speed chase that involves something of that nature is inappropriate.”
The NYPD released their own statement:
“On Tuesday evening, May 16, the NYPD assisted he 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.”
An eyewitness shared to outlets:
“It started off with 12 paparazzi, then ended up with four chasing [Meghan, Harry and Doria]. Their security tried their best to lose [photographers].”
The source added that they eventually ditched their SUV and Tok a yellow cab in the hopes that this would help. Prince Harry is said to have been able to record evidence using his cellphone.
A member of the couple’s security team, Chris Sanchez, has spoken out:
“I have never seen, experienced anything like this. What we were dealing with was very chaotic. There were about a dozen vehicles: cars, scooters and bicycles. The public were in jeopardy at several points. It could have been fatal. They were jumping curbs and red lights. At one point they blocked the limousine (carrying the couple) and started taking pictures until we were able to get out.
[I] was concerned about the principals (Prince Harry and Meghan) but more about the public because they (the paparazzi) were being so erratic. People were on sidewalks and crossing streets and the (paparazzi) were crossing red lights. We did everything by the letter of law.”
