• Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had been concerned in a “near-catastrophic” automobile chase on Tuesday night time.
• Earlier than the chase, paparazzi harassed Meghan as she tried to stroll by a crowd of photographers.
• One paparazzo tried to get Meghan’s consideration by asking her about being from “two damaged households.”

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had been concerned in a “near-catastrophic” automobile chase in New York Metropolis.

On Tuesday, Harry and Meghan attended the Ladies of Imaginative and prescient awards ceremony with Meghan’s mom Doria Ragland.

As they left the occasion, they had been pursued “by a hoop of extremely aggressive paparazzi” in six blacked-out automobiles, a spokesperson for the couple mentioned in a press release supplied to royal reporter Omid Scobie. 

“This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in a number of close to collisions involving different drivers on the street, pedestrians, and two NYPD officers,” the assertion mentioned. 

Scobie mentioned the drivers dedicated multiple traffic violations as they pursued the Sussexes and Ragland, together with “driving on a sidewalk, going by crimson lights, reversing down a a method road, driving whereas photographing and illegally blocking a shifting automobile.”

The NYPD confirmed the incident in a press release to Insider on Wednesday, saying “the NYPD assisted the non-public safety workforce defending the Duke and Duchess of Sussex” on Tuesday night time.

“There have been quite a few photographers that made their transport difficult,” Julian Phillips, the deputy commissioner of public info for the NYPD, mentioned. “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived at their vacation spot and there have been no reported collisions, summonses, accidents, or arrests in regard.”

Representatives for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex didn’t instantly reply to Insider’s request for remark.

Though the automobile chase was definitely the apex of the harassment Harry and Meghan skilled in New York, a video being shared on social media reveals paparazzi had been harassing the couple earlier than the chase. 

The video, which was shared on Twitter, seemingly got here from the Every day Mail, because it featured the outlet’s watermark in a single nook and “Dan Bates for DailyMail.com” in one other.

Within the video, a large group surrounds Meghan, who can barely be seen exiting a black SUV with Ragland amid the throng of paparazzi. 

—Paula Matanovich🍷 (@paulamatanovich) May 17, 2023

A safety officer rapidly ushered Meghan and Ragland inside a Hertz rental retailer as photographers tried to get her consideration, with one particular person even making an inflammatory assertion to attempt to get the duchess to work together with him.

“Meghan, how do you are feeling about being a part of two damaged households?” one paparazzo known as to her as she handed. 

He appeared to be referencing her estrangement from her father, Thomas Markle, and Prince Harry’s fractured relationship with King Charles and Prince William.

Harry attended King Charles’ coronation on Might 6, however he didn’t publicly work together along with his father or his brother on the occasion. He additionally left for the airport instantly after the ceremony ended. Meghan didn’t attend the coronation. 

Buckingham Palace mentioned the automobile chase “is not one thing we’re commenting on” when contacted by Insider concerning the incident.