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| Prince Harry and Meghan 'near miss' during 'constant pursuit of photographers in New York |
A spokesperson for Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle has claimed that their car was followed by photographers in New York City and they 'narrowly avoided a fatal accident'.
According to the spokesman, as soon as Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, and their mother started to get back into their car after attending an award ceremony in New York, they were followed by a fleet of photographers. This process continued for two hours, as a result of which he 'never narrowly escaped accidents'.
The New York Police Department (NYPD) says that no one was injured after the incident and no arrests have been made yet.
These details have not yet been independently confirmed by BBC News, but statements and information in this regard continued to emerge overtime on Wednesday.
The New York Police Department confirmed the incident, saying that "multiple photographers made Harry and Meghan's trip difficult."
The police said that no one has been reported injured or arrested yet. Buckingham Palace has not released a statement on the incident.
In this regard, claims are also being made that the chase was carried out by around six vehicles that were being driven at high speed and in a reckless manner and during which traffic signals were not being taken care of and fit. As well as driving on the path, the couple's vehicle was stopped and the vehicle was reversed in a one-way street and their photographs were taken while driving.
BBC News understands that Harry and Meghan are currently staying at a friend's house and have abandoned plans to return immediately due to security concerns.
Taxi Drive What did Sikh Charan Singh see?
The couple and Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, sought refuge in a Manhattan police station to avoid photographers. Meanwhile, there was also a plan to cover the rest of the journey in a New York taxi, on which the board of the taxi was displayed and all the people and a security officer were to board it.
However, this vehicle was also identified by the photographers after which they had to return to their security vehicles.
Taxi driver Sukh Charan Singh, also known as Soni, told BBC News that he took four rides from 67 Street.
A security guard waved and suddenly Prince Harry and his wife got into a taxi. We had only gone a short distance when a garbage truck came our way and suddenly photographers started taking pictures of us.
"They didn't tell me where they wanted to go but then they told me to go back to the police station."
He said they appeared to be 'good guys' who 'looked nervous.' According to him, the behavior of the photographers was not 'aggressive'.
"New York is the safest place because you see police stations and police officers everywhere," he says. The photographer was behind us. However, he kept his distance.
He said that he was given fifty dollars for this short trip. The story told by the taxi driver covers only ten minutes of the situation which lasted for two hours according to the spokesperson.
"On many occasions, the general public was also in danger"
The driver's analysis is in stark contrast to a statement from Chris Sanchez, a member of the couple's security team, who told CNN that the whole situation was "extremely awkward" and that at one point photographers had spotted Harry and Meghan. also tried to stop the limousine.
He said that on many occasions the general public was also in danger. This could have caused loss of life.
The couple uses private security in the US, but Harry is currently fighting a legal battle in London over whether he can use Metropolitan Police security while on tour in the UK.
The awards ceremony the two attended was the first time Harry and Meghan have attended an event since King Charles' coronation.
Meanwhile, Meghan also accepted an award alongside Black Voters Matter co-founder Latosha Brown. New York City Mayor Eric Adams told reporters that two police officers "could have been injured" during the chase, and that "an innocent person standing on the sidewalk could have been killed in such a horrific pursuit."
A statement released by Prince Harry and Meghan did not claim it was a 'high-speed chase'. However, it has been called a two-hour-long 'constant pursuit'. Duncan Larcombe, author of Prince Harry's book, Prince Harry: The Inside Story, told the BBC that it appears "something very bad has happened" to Harry and Meghan's security in the US.
"It will be nothing less than a big surprise for the people who were responsible for Harry's security in the UK," he says. Important questions can be asked about whether photographers can still do such things.
Prince Harry's mother, Princess Diana, was killed in a car accident in Paris in 1997 while being followed by photographers. B. BIn the EC documentary Diana 7 Days, Prince Harry describes the photographers as a 'pack of dogs who constantly followed his mother.
He had said while talking that whenever they went out, there would be a large number of them following them. I mean the pack of dogs that chased them, harassed them, chased them, yelled at them, spat at them to get them to react, and got angry at them so they could take a picture of it.
Prince Harry has already filed several lawsuits against the British magazine Press, including allegations of hacking and unlawfully obtaining information.
Earlier this week, a lawyer for the prince told a court in London that he should be allowed to challenge a government decision barring him from paying for police protection in the country.
It should be noted that Prince Harry and Meghan stepped down from royal duties in 2020, one of several reasons being harassment by the British tabloid press.
Prince Harry has called the battle to change media attitudes his 'life's mission'. Next week, he will give evidence in a London court in the phone hacking case.