A spokesperson for Prince Harry and his wife Meghan says that the couple were involved in a lengthy car chase by paparazzi photographers that it described as "near catastrophic." The couple were leaving a charity event, EDnews informs via DW.
The office of Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, said on Wednesday that the couple and Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, were followed for more than two hours by half a dozen vehicles with blacked-out windows after leaving a charity event in New York.
The spokesperson described the chase as "near catastrophic" and said that it "resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD [New York Police Department] officers."
"While being a public figure comes with a level of interest form the public, it should never come at the cost of anybody's safety," the statement said.
New York's Mayor Eric Adams told reporters that while he had not received a full briefing, he had been told that "two of our officers could have been injured."
Adams called it "reckless and irresponsible" for anyone to be chasing people in vehicles in a densely populated city. He expressed some doubts about the stated duration of more than 2 hours but said that was not really the point.
"If it's 10 minutes, a 10-minute chase is extremely dangerous in New York City," he said.
The NYPD issued a statement soon after confirming an incident had occurred, and that officers had assisted the couple's private security team.
"There were numerous photographers that made their transport challenging," the statement said. "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived at their destination and there were no reported collisions, summonses, injuries, or arrests in regard."
