Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and his mother, Doria Ragland, have been involved in a “near fatal car chase” in New York in which several paparazzi have also participated, a spokesman for the Duke of Sussex reported on Wednesday.
The incident occurred after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended a non-profit organization’s annual gala on Tuesday where Meghan was honored for her humanitarian work. At the end of the event, they were followed for more than two hours while traveling in a vehicle with Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland. According to his version of events, the paparazzi nearly caused multiple collisions with other drivers, pedestrians and two New York Police Department officers in their effort to get a picture of the family.
“While being a public figure carries a level of interest from the public, it should never come at the cost of anyone’s safety. The dissemination of these images, given the way in which they were obtained, encourages a highly intrusive practice that is dangerous to everyone involved.”
Harry and Meghan stepped down from their royal roles in 2020 and moved to the United States in part because of intense media harassment, Harry said. The prince has been highly critical of the tabloids and paparazzi, whom he has blamed for the death of his mother. Diana Princess of Wales lost her life in Paris in 1997 when her limousine crashed while trying to flee from pursuing photographers.
The journalist Omid Scobie, author of one of the latest books on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, has stated, citing sources close to the couple, that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are “understandably affected, but grateful to be well”.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project