Prince Harry, Meghan In "Near Catastrophic" Paparazzi Chase

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Facts

  • Prince Harry’s spokesperson has told the New York Police Department (NYPD) that the Prince and his wife Meghan Markle were involved in a “near catastrophic car chase” that “resulted in multiple near collisions” with other drivers, pedestrians, and two NYPD officers.1
  • Paparazzi were allegedly in relentless pursuit of the Sussexes for two hours, after the couple, along with Markle’s mother Doria Ragland, left the Women of Vision Awards at New York City’s Ziegfeld Ballroom.2
  • A half dozen cars with “aggressive” photographers reportedly ran red lights, drove on pavements, reversed down a one-way street, and blocked cars in attempts to get photos of the Royal couple. However, the details have not been verified and no injuries or arrests were reported.3
  • Two senior law enforcement officials say Harry and Meghan left the venue at around 10PM with private security, after which members of the paparazzi followed them. The couple were driven up and down Manhattan’s main road to avoid revealing where they were staying, before switching vehicles at an NYPD station.4
  • Taxi driver Sukhcharn Singh says he picked up the high-profile trio and their private security guard at NYPD’s 19th precinct. Singh drove them for ten minutes before returning to the station. He added that, though people followed and took photos, he wouldn’t have called the incident a chase and “never felt like [he] was in danger.”5
  • NYC Mayor Eric Adams condemned the incident, saying two officers could have been hurt, but added that he doubted the plausibility of a two-hour high-speed pursuit. Adams also made reference to Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, who died in a 1997 limousine crash while trying to evade paparazzi.6

Sources: 1CBS, 2CNN, 3BBC News, 4NBC New York, 5Yahoo Entertainment, and 6Reuters.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by Newsweek. History has come dangerously close to repeating itself as Prince Harry, along with Meghan Markle and her mother Doria, were forced to evade paparazzi in a high speed pursuit. Prince Harry tragically lost his mother in an accident caused by invasive press, and he has poignantly predicted the media will do the same to his wife. The press needs to understand that Harry and Meghan are human beings entitled to their privacy. We're lucky no one was hurt this time, but journalist’s reckless antics could have killed the royal couple.
  • Narrative B, as provided by New York Post. The drama never seems to end with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, but this latest claim of a “near-fatal” high speed chase in NYC might be their most preposterous assertion yet. Even logistically, a high speed chase is impossible in such a densely packed city as New York, never mind the fact that they claim it lasted two hours. If they were really in danger they would not have continued on the road. This is just another example of the attention-seeking behavior and victim mentality of Meghan and Harry.