Buckingham Palace stay silent on Prince Harry and Meghan’s car chase

“This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two [police] officers,” a spokesperson for the royal couple said.

The statement was a chilling echo of the 1997 chase through Paris that killed Harry’s mother, Princess Diana.

The mayor said he has not received a full briefing about the incident yet but was especially concerned about reports after a statement from the couple’s spokesperson described: “multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers”.

“It’s clear that the press, the paparazzi, they want to get the right shot,” Mayor Adams said on Wednesday, the morning after the chase. “But public safety must always be at the forefront.”

Mayor Adams was especially concerned that “two of our officers could have been injured” and said while he found it “hard to believe that there was a two-hour high-speed chase,” even an incident lasting 10 minutes could have been “extremely dangerous”.

“New York City is different from a small town somewhere. You shouldn’t be speeding anywhere but this is a densely populated city,” he added, noting the amount of traffic and movement and people on the streets.

Photos of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle taken on the night they were chased by paparazzi in New York City briefly appeared on British tabloid websites before they were taken down amid reports that the pursuit led to “near collisions.”

The spokesperson said the pursuit was “near catastrophic” and involved “other drivers … pedestrians and two NYPD officers.”

The NYPD told The Independent in a statement on Wednesday that the department assisted in the couple’s “challenging” transport, but no collisions, summonses, injuries, or arrests were reported.

It is unknown whether the photos in question were taken by the paparazzi accused of pursuing Meghan and Harry on the packed streets of Manhattan.

Prince Harry’s fears of “history repeating itself” have gained renewed attention after he and Meghan Markle were allegedly involved in a “near catastrophic car chase” with paparazzi.

The Independent’s Meredith Clark reports:

Buckingham Palace has refused to comment on reports that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were involved in a “near catastrophic car chase” involving the paparazzi.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex revealed today they were subjected to a “relentless pursuit” by photographers after an event in New York on Tuesday evening. The royal couple, who were with Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, said that “highly aggressive paparazzi” chased them for two hours that resulted “in multiple near collisions”.

Buckingham Palace told The Independent that it would not be commenting on the incident.

When the spokesperson was asked if King Charles planned to get in contact with his son, the spokesperson repeated that the Palace will not be commenting.

The taxi driver that picked up the Sussexes from the New York City Police Department’s 19th precinct, where they had gone to in an attempt to lose paparazzi, told the Washington Post he didn’t feel threatened. The driver said Meghan and Harry’s security asked him to drive back to the station out of concern their location would be shared with more people.

“I don’t think I would call it a chase,” Sukhcharn Singh told the Post. “I never felt like I was in danger. It wasn’t like a car chase in a movie. They were quiet and seemed scared but it’s New York—it’s safe.”

The NYPD told The Independent in a statement that the department assisted the couple’s “challenging” transport, but no collisions, summonses, injuries, or arrests were reported. Meanwhile, Mr Sanchez told CNN that Prince Harry and Meghan were left frightened and exhausted by the time they arrived to safety.

Chris Sanchez, a member of the Sussexes security team, told CNN in an exclusive interview on Wednesday that he “had never” come close to the chaos he experienced on Tuesday night.

“What we were dealing with was very chaotic. There were about a dozen vehicles: cars, scooters and bicycles,” Mr Sanchez said. “The public [was] in jeopardy at several points. It could have been fatal. They were jumping curbs and red lights. At one point they blocked the limousine and started taking pictures until we were able to get out.”

“[I] was concerned about [Prince Harry and his wife] but more about the public because they [the paparazzi] were being so erratic,” Mr Sanchez added. “People were on sidewalks and crossing streets and the [paparazzi] were crossing red lights. We did everything by the letter of law.”

Photos of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle taken on the night they were chased by paparazzi in New York City briefly appeared on British tabloid websites before they were taken down amid reports that the pursuit led to “near collisions.”

The spokesperson for the Sussexes condemned the “dangerous” way images of the couple and Ms Ragland leaving the event were obtained.

“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 said. “Dissemination of these images, given the ways in which they were obtained, encourages a highly intrusive practice that is dangerous to all involved.”

According to royal biographer Omid Scobie and online reports, some pictures of the couple taken around the time of the chase were briefly featured on DailyMail.com and The Daily Express but have since been removed. It is unknown whether the photos in question were taken by the paparazzi accused of pursuing Meghan and Harry on the packed streets of Manhattan. The Independent has reached out to the Mail and the Express for comment.