ANGELA WEISS / AFP Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle were caught in a chase on Tuesday May 16 involving “very aggressive paparazzi”.
ANGELA WEISS / AFP
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle were caught in a chase on Tuesday May 16 involving “very aggressive paparazzi”.
PEOPLE – A Pursuit « interminable » et “extremely dangerous”. Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle were caught up in a chase on Tuesday involving “very aggressive paparazzi” in the streets of New York, the couple’s spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday, May 17.
A ” car chase “in the middle of town, the outcome of which could have been « fatale » according to a source close to the couple. The incident immediately echoes the death of Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, in a car accident on August 31, 1997 in Paris, while her Mercedes was being chased by paparazzi.
In New York, on Tuesday evening, the chase “relentless, which lasted nearly two hours, nearly caused collisions with other drivers, pedestrians and two officers of the New York police”said a spokesperson in an email sent to AFP, the prince and his wife living in California.
Where were Harry and Meghan before the incident?
The couple, who were in a car with Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, had just emerged from an awards ceremony at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York. The Duchess of Sussex had received an award from the philanthropic and feminist organization Ms. Foundation for Women.
According to AFP journalists covering the gala, the prince and his wife did not walk the red carpet and entered and left the back of the building where the evening was taking place.
In an attempt to evade photographers, the royal couple took shelter in a Manhattan police station to wait for their taxi. The vehicle was to pick them up around 11 p.m. Boarded, Harry and Meghan had to get off after 10 minutes, because they were very quickly spotted by the paparazzi. The driver advised them to use their own security vehicles, reports SkyNews.
A hyperdangerous behavior of the paparrazis
According to sources close to the couple, quoted by the BBC, half a dozen cars were reportedly involved in the chase, with very reckless driving. Some vehicles would have crossed red lights, others driven on sidewalks, or blocked the road via action film worthy maneuvers. A photographer even tried to take pictures while driving.
If there were no arrests or injuries, the mayor of New York, Eric Adams, denounced a chase “ reckless and irresponsible” in such a densely populated city, relates l’Independent.
During a press conference the day after the incident, he said he was particularly concerned by the statements of the spokesperson for Harry and Meghan. He had described “multiple near-misses involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers”.
“It is clear that the press, the paparazzi, want to take the right photo”he continued. “But public safety must always be at the forefront.” The mayor of New York also directly alluded to Diana’s death: “We all know how his mother died.”
The city councilor, a former police captain, on the other hand, questioned the probability of a “two-hour chase at full speed”. “But even a ten-minute chase is extremely dangerous in New York”he concluded.
When questioned, the New York City Police (NYPD) responded to the press that they had “provided assistance to the private security team protecting the Duke and Duchess of Sussex”. “There were many photographers” Tuesday evening “making their transport (in New York) difficult”acknowledged a police spokesman.
If according to a source close to the couple this “chasing could have been fatal”Julian Phillips, deputy commissioner of the New York police, tempers to the BBC: “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have arrived at their destination and no collisions, summonses, injuries or arrests have been reported. »
Harry and Meghan have already denounced the behavior of the press towards them
Harry and Meghan left the British royal family in early 2020 to move to California due to conflict and tension, including accusations of racism, but also due to pressure from the media.
The tabloids are ruthless and Harry has several legal disputes with them. We blame the « Sussex » to have slammed the door in 2020, then criticized the powerful and secret royal family, and to have revealed behind the scenes and the dissensions to the whole world.
In the Netflix series « Harry & Meghan » which was a hit in December 2022, the Duchess explains that her life has “changed overnight” since the revelation of her relationship with Harry in 2016, where she quickly became the target of journalists. “Our relationship became a mixture of car chase, anti-stalking and hiding (…) my friends and family asked me if Harry was really worth it”reveals in particular Meghan in the documentary.
See also on Le HuffPost :
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2023-05-17 07:00:00
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