Prince Harry and Meghan Markle involved in a “nearly catastrophic car chase” with paparazzi

After the The Duchess of Sussex accepted an award At the Women of Vision Awards last night in New York City, she, her husband, Prince Harry, and her mother, Doria Ragland, were involved in a “nearly catastrophic car chase” with paparazzi.

A spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex issued a statement about the incident, decrying the “relentless pursuit” of Meghan and Harry by the paparazzi.

“Last night, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Ms. Ragland were involved in a near-catastrophic car chase at the hands of a very aggressive group of paparazzi,” the statement read. “This relentless pursuit, which lasted for more than 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 public interest, 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 for all involved.”

A source tells Bazaar.com the pursuit allegedly included half a dozen blackout vehicles, and these drivers committed various traffic violations, including running red lights, backing onto a one-way street, driving on the sidewalk, blocking a moving vehicle, and driving while on the phone and photographing The couple was staying at a friend’s private residence and did not want to compromise this friend’s home.

The source also counts Bazaar.com thatt the Duke and Duchess accept the level of attention they receive at highly publicized events. In the case of last night’s ceremony, they allowed the paparazzi to capture photos of them walking in and out of the venue.

Harry and Meghan have long spoken out against invasive breaches of privacy by paparazzi and tabloids to sell photos and stories about the couple’s personal lives. The Duke and Duchess have previously taken legal action, filing multiple litigation against the likes of Associated newspapers.

In his memoirs, ReplacementHarry recalled the trauma of losing his mother, Princess Diana, in a fatal car accident in Paris after the paparazzi chased her in 1997. Harry wrote that he later drove through the tunnel where the accident occurred, when he was 23 years old.

“We kept going, jumping the edge of the tunnel entrance, the pothole that supposedly swerved Mom’s Mercedes. But his lip was nothing. We are barely sorry,” she wrote. “As the car entered the tunnel, I leaned forward, watched the light change to sort of an aqua orange, watched the concrete pillars flicker by. I counted them, I counted my heartbeat and in a few seconds we were out on the other side. I sat down. I calmly said: That’s all? It’s no big deal. Just a straight tunnel. She had always envisioned the tunnel as a treacherous, inherently dangerous passageway, but it was just a short tunnel, plain and simple. There is no reason for someone to die inside it..”

Digital Associate Editor

As the Associate Editor of HarpersBAZAAR.com, Chelsey stays on top of all the celebrity news. She also writes about social movements and connects with activists leading the fight for workers’ rights, climate justice, and more. Offline, she’s probably spending too much time on TikTok, seeing Emma again (the 2020 version, of course), or buying another corset.