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Wales Online
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Cathy Owen

Everything we know about Harry and Meghan's 'near catastrophic' car chase

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have claimed that they were involved in a "near-catastrophic" two-hour car chase,. Harry and Meghan were followed by paparazzi after attending an awards ceremony with the duchess's mother Doria Ragland in New York on Tuesday.

It seems there was indeed a pursuit. However there are different versions of events.

This is what Harry and Meghan have said

In a statement issued on Wednesday just hours after the couple attended an awards ceremony in New York, a spokesperson for Harry and Meghan said: "Last night, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Ms Ragland were involved in a near catastrophic car chase at the hands of 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.

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

It is understood that Harry, Meghan and Ms Ragland were staying at a private residence and did not want to compromise the security of their friend's home.

The trio had been at the Ms Foundation for Women's 50th anniversary gala event, which honoured "game-changing" grantee partners and visionary leaders committed to the organisation's mission of "advancing collective power and creating safe, just and equitable futures for women, girls, and gender-expansive people".

Meghan received the Ms Foundation's Women of Vision Award, recognising her "global advocacy to empower and advocate on behalf of women and girls".

It was Harry and Meghan's first public appearance together since the duchess's absence at the King's coronation earlier this month.

It is understood that the couple believe the pursuit could have been fatal, as it involved six blacked-out vehicles with unidentified people driving recklessly and endangering the convoy and everyone around them.

Harry and Meghan are said to accept a heightened level of attention when they are at public events, and in this case they exited and entered the venue publicly, allowing photographers to get pictures.

It is said that traffic violations included driving on the pavement and through red lights, reversing down a one-way street, illegally blocking a moving vehicle and driving while photographing and while on the phone.

It is also said that while those involved were confronted by uniformed police multiple times, they continued the pursuit, and that there is footage taken from security along with other evidence to support these allegations.

What police in New York said

New York Police Department, which deployed officers to help escort Harry and Megan, said "numerous photographers" had "made their transport difficult" on Tuesday evening.

The statement said there were "no reported collisions, summonses, injuries or arrests".

What taxi driver said

A taxi driver who claimed to have transported them for part of the journey told The Washington Post his vehicle was pursued by two cars: a black Honda Accord and a grey Honda CR-V.

However, Sukhcharn Singh told the BBC claims about the paparazzi chasing them may have been exaggerated as they were not "aggressive".

Mr Singh, who goes by the name Sonny, told the BBC he picked up the four passengers on 67th Street between Lexington Avenue and 3rd Avenue.

New York City cab driver Sukhcharn Singh (AP)

He said: "A security guard hailed me, next thing you know Prince Harry and his wife were hopping into my cab.

"As we went a block, we got blocked by a garbage truck and all of a sudden paparazzi came and started taking pictures.

"They were just about to give me the location of where they were going to go, but then they told me to circle back to the precinct."

He also told The Washington Post: "I don't think I would call it a chase. 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."

What New York mayor said

Speaking on Wednesday, New York mayor Eric Adams condemned the photographers for being "reckless and irresponsible".

He added that it would be "horrific" for Harry to be involved in an accident similar to the one that killed his mother Diana in 1997.

Diana, Princess of Wales, was killed in a crash after her car, driven at speed by a drunk chauffeur, was chased through the streets of Paris by paparazzi photographers.

(Kyle Mazza/NurPhoto/REX/Shutterstock)

Speaking at a press conference, he said: "Public safety must always be at the forefront. The briefing I received, two of our officers could have been injured. New York City is different from small towns. You shouldn't be speeding anywhere but this is a densely populated city.

"I don't think there's many of us who don't recall how his mom died and it would be horrific to lose an innocent bystander during a chase like this and something to have happened to them as well. So, I think we have to be extremely responsible. I thought that was a bit reckless and irresponsible."

What the photographers have said

A photographer involved in the alleged car chase has spoken out to deny they were driving fast.

Talking to Good Morning Britain’s chief correspondent Richard Gaisford, the photographer - who wanted to remain anonymous - said,: "Last night after leaving the theatre, there were hopes from me and a few other photographers that maybe they would go to a restaurant.

"For the most part, I was driving and it was very tense trying to keep up with the vehicles. They did a lot of blocking and there was a lot of different type of manoeuvres to stop what was happening."

(GMB)

He continued, “Their driver was making it a catastrophic experience… if they were going 80mph, I would probably have been going 20mph behind them and hoping to keep sight of them. So if it was dangerous and catastrophic, it was more than likely based on the person that was driving versus anyone else.”

He added, “The driver wanted to drive fast, cut through lanes and do this and do that, go the wrong way, I had no control over any of that. It was too much. I don’t like the idea of high speed chases - going from across town to this town.”

What the royal family have said

The Press Association has reported that the couple have not been contacted by the royal family

Despite claims the three of them were subjected to a "relentless pursuit" involving half a dozen blacked-out vehicles, it is understood no members of the royal family had reached out as of 10pm on Wednesday.

A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman declined to comment.

The couple's unofficial spokesman Omid Scobie told GMB that the couple had not been contacted by any members of the royal family.

What others have said

The Duke of Sussex's security should have been "properly stage managed", his former bodyguard told Good Morning Britain on Thursday morning.

Ken Wharfe said: "The protection team he has got at the moment has never dealt with such a high-profile celebrity as Harry and Meghan.

"To them, I have some sympathy. The whole point is you have to take advice on this, and I don't know to what extent the New York Police Department were involved, but basically it's something that needs to be properly stage managed.

"I will make the point here from my own experience ... the paparazzi, at best, can be talked to, but at worst they're a nuisance.

"But they're not out to cause the death of any one person. So, I think we have to be a little bit careful there."

MP Jess Phillips said on Twitter: "I suspect there is little good faith on the subject but if my mother had been killed in a paparazzi chase when I was a child I suspect I may have a different perception (trauma response) to a similar event occurring, than others.

"Things that seem completely inane to others can really scare me since my friend was killed for doing our job. Hyper vigilance is a curse as well as a protection."

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