Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, were trailed in their car by photographers as they left a New York City charity event this week, briefly taking refuge at a police station before being whisked away in a yellow taxicab.
The pursuit and media frenzy evoked memories of the 1997 car chase through Paris that killed Harry’s mother, Princess Diana — though in this case, police said, no one was hurt.
The royal couple set off alarms when their spokesperson claimed yesterday [Macau time] that they had been dangerously pursued by paparazzi in a “near catastrophic car chase” through the streets of Manhattan. That account led New York City Mayor Eric Adams to condemn the paparazzi chasing them as “reckless and irresponsible.”
Later, though, police said the pursuit was relatively short and led to no injuries, collisions or arrests, and warranted no further investigation.
The cab driver who drove them from the police station said he instantly recognized his passengers and that paparazzi “were following us the whole time,” though he said wouldn’t call it a chase.
“They had this look on their faces,” the driver, Sukhcharn Singh, said. “All of a sudden paparazzi came out and started taking pictures.”
Police issued a short statement confirming an incident Tuesday night involving photographers and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who were accompanied by Meghan’s mother.
Meanwhile, police in California were called this week about an episode near the couple’s property in Montecito.
In New York on Tuesday night, the couple left Manhattan’s Ziegfeld Ballroom — where Meghan had just accepted the Ms. Foundation’s Woman of Vision Awards with Black Voters Matter co-founder LaTosha Brown — and got into an SUV as crowds of pedestrians and photographers gawked, according to video posted to social media.
Harry and Meghan’s vehicle was then followed by photographers in a scene that their office said “resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers.” The couple’s office called the incident “near catastrophic.”
Police intervened and, assisting the couple’s private security detail, led them to a police station about 18 blocks from the ballroom, a law enforcement official told the AP.
The couple spent several minutes at the police station, waiting for the situation to de-escalate. Once it was safe, 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.
“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 couple’s office said in a statement.
Bruce Cotler, the president of the New York Press Photographers Association, said the way photographers allegedly acted Tuesday night violated the basic photojournalism principle of covering news “as documentarians and observers” and the code of ethics to which his members and “any press photographer with respect for themselves and the profession” are expected to adhere.
The award presentation was Meghan’s first public appearance since she skipped the coronation of her father-in-law King Charles III earlier this month.
In a statement, the Ms. Foundation said it was “absolutely horrified” about what happened and that “Everyone, especially the media, must do better.” MDT/AP
