The statement was alarming and unmistakably reminiscent of the chase that killed Princess Diana 26 years ago: Prince Harry and his wife Meghan were “embroiled in a near-disastrous chase by a group of extremely aggressive paparazzi,” according to an unnamed spokesman for the couple.
The story of a chaotic and dangerous chase through midtown Manhattan on Tuesday night reverberated around the world on Wednesday morning, grabbing headlines on both sides of the Atlantic. CNN, which provides up-to-the-minute updates along with SKY News and broadcasters around the world, reported that a member of the couple’s security team said the incident “could have been fatal.”
But when more details came to light on Wednesday from reports from the police and a taxi driver who was briefly involved, the picture became more complicated.
It illustrated numerous themes surrounding the Duke and Duchess of Sussex: their glittering fame and the news media’s endless appetite for stories about them; her frosty relationship with the crown and her struggle for a royal security service; and her determination to avoid the lenses of the paparazzi, certainly motivated by the tragic death of Diana, Harry’s mother, while riding in a car speeding away from them in Paris in 1997.
The episode opened Tuesday night at Midtown’s Ziegfeld Ballroom, where Harry, Meghan and their mother, Doria Ragland, attended the Women of Vision Awards, where Meghan was among the honorees.
Around 9:50 p.m., the family left the theater to return to the Upper East Side, where they were staying, according to a police officer familiar with the matter.
Concerned that paparazzi who had gathered outside the theater would follow them, they drove away in a private security vehicle with a police escort, the official said. They were driven around for about an hour and drove up FDR Drive once, but they couldn’t shake the paparazzi.
Police then escorted them to the 19th Police Precinct on the Upper East Side, the officer said.
According to taxi driver Sukhcharn Singh, one of their security guards called a taxi outside the police station at around 11pm, just over an hour after they left the ballroom.
After going about a block, they got stuck behind a garbage truck, Mr Singh said.
“All of a sudden the paparazzi came out of nowhere and just took pictures,” he said, adding that he heard one of the women say from behind, “Oh my god.”
“They were nervous,” Mr Singh said. “His wife looked scared and Harry was nervous. And the other lady was very quiet.”
The truck dodged them less than five minutes later, but while Mr Singh was driving, he said, he saw paparazzi following them in at least two cars. Noticing that they were being followed, the couple’s security guard ordered Mr Singh to drive back to the precinct.
At around 11:30 a.m., Mr Singh took them back to the precinct and they got back into the same black SUV they were driving in earlier, he said.
They remained at the precinct while police blocked traffic in the area and then exited the premises with a police escort and no paparazzi in tow, the official said.
Mr Singh said he would not describe the incident as a “car chase” although he was not involved in the much longer drive earlier in the evening. Although the family were clearly afraid, Mr Singh said this was not the case. “I wasn’t scared,” he said. “You didn’t grow up in New York.”
A New York City Police Department spokesman confirmed officers assisted the couple’s security team Tuesday night, but also did not describe the incident as a “car chase.”
“There were numerous photographers who made their transportation a challenge,” spokesman Julian Phillips said in a statement. “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived at their destination and there were no reported clashes, subpoenas, injuries or arrests.”
A spokesman for the couple did not respond to questions about the first statement.
At an independent news conference Wednesday morning, Mayor Eric Adams condemned the incident as “somewhat inconsiderate and irresponsible” and noted that he was not fully briefed on the incident.
“It’s clear that the press, the paparazzi, want to get the right shot,” Mr Adams said. “But public safety must always come first.”
However, he doubted the length of the chase described in the statement. “I can’t believe there was a two-hour high-speed chase,” he said, adding that even a 10-minute chase would be “extremely dangerous in New York City.”
Mr Adams also invoked the death of Harry’s mother, saying: “I don’t think there are many of us who don’t remember how his mother died.”
Buckingham Palace said it had not commented on the incident, as did Kensington Palace, which is the household of Harry’s brother, Prince William.
Prince Harry has long been at loggerheads with the press, blaming the paparazzi for his mother’s death and saying his wife’s constant tabloid harassment reminded him of his mother’s experience.
He and Meghan have taken legal action against several British newspapers, alleging that the newspaper hacked his mobile phone and otherwise invaded their privacy.
Harry is also suing the UK Home Office for its security practices in his home country. He and Meghan lost police protection after retiring from royal duties and leaving the UK in 2020. Harry said this posed an unacceptable risk to him and his family during their visit.
He has offered to pay for police protection himself but has been turned down by the Metropolitan Police. Home Office lawyers argue that wealthy people should not be allowed to “buy” police protection.
Harry has become estranged from his father, King Charles III, and his brother, and did not meet either of them during his brief visit to London for his father’s coronation on May 6th. Meghan did not attend the ceremony, which coincided with the fourth birthday of the couple’s son, Archie.
Royal observers say Charles and William are deeply saddened by claims in Harry’s recent memoir and a documentary about the couple that Harry is emotionally distant from his father and is more concerned about his public image than the happiness of his son and William portrayed bullying as jealous and jealous.
But many of Harry’s complaints are aimed at the press. He claims the tabloids have made unsavory deals with members of the royal family, promising favorable coverage in exchange for derogatory statements about other family members.
After leaving the UK and moving to California, the couple attempted to spruce up their image with the help of the media in Harry’s adopted homeland. Americans have at times felt sorry for the couple, perhaps because they can claim Meghan, who grew up in Los Angeles, as their own.
The couple chose Oprah Winfrey for their first major interview since moving to California, a prime-time special on CBS that has attracted more than 17 million viewers. They signed a roughly $100 million deal to produce programs for California-based Netflix, which aired the documentary “Harry & Meghan,” which topped the streaming charts. And the memoirs “Spare”, published by Penguin Random House, became a bestseller.
But the couple’s eager wooing and collaboration with American media has also fueled a cottage industry of photographers trying to capture each of their public appearances, fueled by demand from gossip sites like TMZ and Page Six. The popularity of the Netflix documentary and Harry’s memoir has only whetted Americans’ appetite for these images and other glimpses into the lives of the royals living in their midst.
And the British royal family has long proved a surefire draw for American media companies looking for views, readers and clicks. To cite just one example, Harry and Meghan’s 2018 wedding at Windsor Castle was watched by 29 million Americans, according to Nielsen – a larger audience than the 18 million Brits who tuned in. More Americans watched Harry and Meghan’s wedding than William and Catherine’s 2011 wedding.
Christine Hauser and Remy Tumin contributed to the reporting. Kirsten Noyes contributed to the research.