Prince Harry and his wife, Megan Markle, survived a “disaster” that almost occurred on Tuesday evening in New York as a result of a “car chase” by “very aggressive celebrity photo hunters,” a spokesman for the couple said in a statement.
The incident occurred on Tuesday night after Harry and Megan attended an awards ceremony in the US financial capital.
In a statement emailed to AFP, a spokesman for the couple said Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, was with them in the car.
“Last night, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Lady Ragland were the subject of a near-disastrous car chase by a highly aggressive network of paparazzi,” the statement read.
A spokesman for the couple residing in California pointed out that this “intense pursuit, which lasted for about two hours, almost caused a collision with other drivers or with pedestrians and two New York police officers.”
“Being a public figure comes with a level of interest from the public, but it should never be at the expense of anyone’s safety,” the statement added.
“The publication of these images, given the manner in which they were obtained, encourages a very intrusive practice that is dangerous for all concerned,” the spokesman said.
A New York Police Department spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the incident.
Harry, 38, and his wife, Megan, 41, attended a party for a foundation concerned with women’s issues, during which Megan received an award.
The couple withdrew from the royal family in early 2020, and moved from Britain to the United States, in a decision they attributed in part to the media’s excessive interference in their lives.
Harry has long blamed the press for the death of his mother, Princess Diana, in a car crash in Paris in 1997 while being pursued by paparazzi.
