Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, were not injured during what they described as a “near-catastrophic car chase” through New York, the city's police department said on Wednesday.
The incident occurred after the couple attended an awards ceremony in New York on Tuesday night, during which the Duchess of Sussex received a Woman of Vision award.
Video published on entertainment website TMZ show the pair sitting in the back of a yellow cab along with Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, after leaving the event.
“This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD [New York Police Department] officers,” a representative for the couple said.
The NYPD assisted the couple's private security team after the event, said Julian Phillips, the department's deputy commissioner for public information.
“There were numerous photographers that made their transport challenging,” he said in a statement.
“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived at their destination and there were no reported collisions, summonses, injuries or arrests in regard.”
The Associated Press reported that a law enforcement official said police had helped the couple at one point to move from their SUV to a taxi.
The cab driver, Sukhcharn Singh, spoke with The Washington Post and did not describe the incident as a chase.
“I never felt like I was in danger. It wasn’t like a car chase in a movie," he said of his experience driving the couple after picking them up outside a police precinct.
"They were quiet and seemed scared but it’s New York — it’s safe.”
News reports say the couple wanted to evade the paparazzi to protect the safety and privacy of the home they were staying at in Manhattan.
New York Mayor Eric Adams described the incident as “a bit reckless and irresponsible”.
“A lot of people are using our streets – any type of high-speed chase that involves something of that nature is inappropriate,” Mr Adams said.
The mayor said he had been briefed that two officers could have been injured in the incident.
Prince Harry has long blamed the paparazzi for the death of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales, who was killed along with Dodi Al Fayed when the limousine they were in crashed as it was pursued by photographers in Paris.
“I don't think there's many of us who don't recall how, how [Prince Harry's] mum died, and it would be horrific to lose an innocent bystander during a chase like this,” Mr Adams noted.
In an interview with 60 Minutes earlier this year, the prince also accused the paparazzi of standing by after the crash.
Prince Harry and Meghan's office said the couple were chased by more than a half dozen vehicles, AP reported.
The couple's representative said the high level of interest generated by public figures such as Prince Harry and Meghan should not come at the cost of anyone's safety. The representative added that dissemination of photographs taken by paparazzi “encourages a highly intrusive practice”.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped down from royal duties in 2020 and moved to the US partly because of what they described as intense media harassment.
The prince has also been in court attempting to bring a legal challenge against the Home Office over his security arrangements when in the UK.
He is seeking a judicial review over a decision that he should not be allowed to pay privately for his protective security. The Home Office said it was “not appropriate” for wealthy people to “buy” protective security, which might include armed officers, when it had decided that “the public interest does not warrant” someone receiving such protection on a publicly funded basis.
The couple were making their first public appearance together since the coronation of King Charles III earlier this month.
Ms Ragland accompanied Harry and Meghan at the Ms Foundation for Women's 50th anniversary gala event in New York on Tuesday.
The ceremony honoured “game-changing” grantee partners and visionary leaders committed to the organisation's mission of “advancing collective power and creating safe, just and equitable futures for women, girls and gender-expansive people”.
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Doria Ragland, Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, attend the Ms Foundation Women of Vision Awards in New York City. Getty -
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan attend a basketball game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Memphis Grizzlies in Los Angeles in April. Getty -
The royal couple speak onstage at the Robert F Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Gala in New York in December 2022. Getty -
Prince Harry and Meghan watch as the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II is placed into the hearse following the state funeral service at Westminster Abbey in central London in September 2022. AP -
Prince Harry and Meghan pay their respects at the Palace of Westminster. Getty -
Prince Harry, Meghan and Kate, Princess of Wales, attend a service for the reception of Queen Elizabeth's coffin at Westminster Hall. AFP -
The Princess of Wales, Prince William, Prince Harry and Meghan meet members of the public outside Windsor Castle. Getty -
Prince Harry and Meghan leave after a service of thanksgiving for the queen. Getty -
Prince Harry and Meghan at the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in New York in September 2021. AP -
Prince Harry and Meghan on the cover of Time magazine's 100 most influential people in the world edition, in September 2021. Reuters -
Prince Harry and Meghan are interviewed by Oprah Winfrey in March 2021. Reuters -
Prince Harry and Meghan shared this image on social media in February 2021 to announce they were expecting their second child. AFP -
Prince Harry and Meghan visit Canada House, London, in January 2020. Getty -
Prince Harry and Meghan visit Auwal Mosque on Heritage Day during their royal tour of South Africa in September 2019. Getty -
Prince Harry, Meghan and their son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor in South Africa in September 2019. Getty -
Prince Harry and Meghan meet Beyonce Knowles-Carter and Jay-Z at the European Premiere of Disney's The Lion King at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square, London, in July 2019. Getty -
Prince Harry and Meghan pose for a photo with the New York Yankees before their baseball game against the Boston Red Sox at London Stadium in June 2019. Getty -
Prince Harry and Meghan pose with their newborn son Archie in St George's Hall at Windsor Castle in May 2019. Getty -
Meghan, joined by her mother Ms Ragland, shows her new son to Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip at Windsor Castle in May 2019. AP -
Prince Harry and Meghan officially open Number 7, a Feeding Birkenhead citizen’s supermarket and community cafe in Merseyside in January 2019. Getty -
Prince William, the Princess of Wales, Meghan and Prince Harry attend a Christmas Day church service at the Church of St Mary Magdalene on the Sandringham estate in December 2018. Getty -
Prince William, Prince Harry, Meghan and the Duchess of Cambridge attend a service marking the centenary of the First World War armistice at Westminster Abbey in November 2018. Getty -
Prince Harry and Meghan visit Redwoods Tree Walk in October 2018 in Rotorua, New Zealand. Getty -
Prince Harry and Meghan visit an exhibition of Tongan handicrafts at the Fa'onelua Convention Centre in October 2018 in Nuku'alofa, Tonga. Getty -
Prince Harry and Meghan visit the University of the South Pacific in October 2018 in Suva, Fiji. Getty -
Prince Harry and Meghan address the public during a Community Event at Victoria Park in October 2018 in Dubbo, Australia. Getty -
Prince Harry and Meghan meet a koala during a visit to Taronga Zoo in October 2018 in Sydney, Australia. Getty -
Prince Harry and Meghan arrive at the University of Chichester's Engineering and Digital Technology Park during an official visit to West Sussex in October 2018. Getty -
The queen, Meghan, Prince Harry, Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge watch the RAF 100th anniversary fly-past from the balcony of Buckingham Palace in July 2018. Getty -
Prince Harry and Meghan on their wedding day in May 2018. Getty -
Prince Harry places a wedding ring on his new wife's finger. Getty -
Meghan and Prince Harry head to their evening wedding reception at Frogmore House. Getty -
Prince Harry and Meghan walk through the corridors of the Palace of Holyroodhouse on their way to a reception for young people at the Palace in February 2018 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Getty -
Prince Harry and his then-fiancee Meghan visit Nottingham for their first official public engagement together in December 2017. Getty
