Police in New York described the encounter as relatively brief and said there had been no injuries, collisions or arrests. Reuters
Harry and Meghan’s “near-catastrophic car chase” happened because they were too cheap to pay for a hotel, New York Post reported citing sources who also claimed that the couple demanded The Carlyle — late Princess Diana’s favourite hotel — to give them a discounted room for their New York City.
According to Page Six report, Harry and Meghan’s “near-catastrophic car chase” happened because they were too cheap to pay for a hotel, sources have revealed. The entitled couple allegedly demanded the Carlyle — the late Princess Diana’s favorite hotel — give them a discounted room for their New York City visit this week.
According to law enforcement sources, bosses at the Carlyle refused the hefty discount, so the embattled pair instead stayed at a friend’s house on the Upper East Side. But when the paparazzi began following them Tuesday night from the Ziegfeld Theater — in what their spokesperson claimed was a “relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours” — the duo didn’t want to lead the photographers back to their friend’s home and reveal where they were staying.
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A New York City law enforcement source told Page Six: “They should have just gotten a hotel for the safety of everyone. Instead, they were cheap and wanted a free place to stay.” According to the source, “Harry and Meghan’s people called the Carlyle ahead of the trip and asked for a discounted room, and the hotel said no.
“If they had just paid up and got a hotel in the first place, this supposed ‘dangerous’ paparazzi chase around town would never have happened. They would have been driven back to the Carlyle, been photographed going inside and that would have been the end of it.”
Harry’s late mom, Diana, frequented the 1,800-square-foot Royal Suite on the 22nd floor of the Carlyle whenever she was in town. It now costs upward of $8,000 a night. Why the pair didn’t pony up for a room remains a mystery, given they have a reported $100 million deal with Netflix plus numerous other business ventures. Page Six reported Wednesday that Harry, 38, Markle and Markle’s mother, Doria Ragland, were “extremely upset and shaken” after being chased for two hours in what their spokesperson said could have been a “near-catastrophic” incident.
After Meghan Markle received an award from Gloria Steinem at the 2023 Women of Vision ceremony, the three got in an SUV around 10 p.m. Followed by the paps, the couple, as well as Ragland, 66, and their security guards, reportedly went into the NYPD’s 19th Precinct, then jumped into a yellow cab in an effort to fool photographers, before returning to their own car.
The couple’s rep claimed the so-called “chase” “resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers. While being a public figure comes with a level of interest from the public, it should never come at the cost of anyone’s safety.”
The so called near catastrophic car chase
According to reports, the incident occurred after the couple had attended an awards ceremony held in New York by the MS Foundation for Women, where Meghan was honoured for her work. Prince Harry, Meghan and her mother were involved in a “near catastrophic car chase” involving paparazzi, a spokesperson for the couple claimed.
“On Tuesday night, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Ms Ragland were involved in a near catastrophic car chase at the hands of a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “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.”
Why it was irresponsible on the part of Harry and Meghan too?
According to a report by People, a photographer on the scene has shared their opinion calling out the description of the incident. They said that it is “sensational” to term the car chase as “near catastrophic.” They said, “Nobody got a ticket or arrested… I don’t see how it was near catastrophic other than crazy hyperbole.” The source also reports, “Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s driver gets pulled over after he was observed by NYPD swerving and almost hitting pedestrians while trying to evade the paparazzi.”
According to CNN report, in a statement, the New York Police Department (NYPD) confirmed the outline of the Sussexes’ account but described it in less colourful language. The NYPD “assisted the private security team protecting the Duke and Duchess of Sussex” on Tuesday evening and “there were numerous photographers that made their transport challenging,” said Julian Phillips, the NYPD’s deputy commissioner for public information.
“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived at their destination and there were no reported collisions, summonses, injuries, or arrests in regard,” he said.
The couple’s spokesperson said that while “being a public figure comes with a level of interest from the public, it should never come at the cost of anyone’s safety” and urged the media not to publish photographs from the incident. “Dissemination of these images, given the ways in which they were obtained, encourages a highly intrusive practice that is dangerous to all in involved.”
According to the account provided by the couple’s team, the incident involved around half a dozen blacked-out vehicles with unidentified people driving recklessly and endangering the convoy and everyone around them.
Harry and Meghan stepped down from their royal roles in 2020 and moved to the United States partly because of what they described as intense media harassment.
(With added inputs from agencies)
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