New details are emerging about the paparazzi pursuit ofMeghan MarkleandPrince Harryin New York City.
James Devaney/GC Images
“Last 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. This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “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. Dissemination of these images, given the ways in which they were obtained, encourages a highly intrusive practice that is dangerous to all in involved.”
Doria Ragland, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.Kevin Mazur/Getty
“The NYPD assisted the private security team protecting the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. 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.”
RELATED VIDEO: Taxi Driver Involved inMeghan MarkleandPrince HarryCar Chase Speaks on the Incident
In a Wednesday interview withThe Washington Post,taxi driver Sukhcharn Singh also shed new light on the 10 approximate minutes he spent with Harry, Meghan and Doria in his vehicle. The cab driver told the outlet that he picked up the Duke and Duchess of Sussex with “an older Black woman and one security guard” around 11 p.m. on Tuesday outside of the NYPD 19th precinct on East 67th Street, a little more than a mile from the Ziegfeld Ballroom.
Selcuk Acar/Anadolu Agency via Getty
“They kept following us and were coming next to the car,” the 37-year-old told theWashington Post. “They took pictures as we stopped and were filming us.”
The taxi driver said that after a few minutes, the security guard asked him to drive back to the police station, concerned that they were too exposed to photographers. Singh said he then headed north up Madison Avenue to take the group back to where he picked them up.
“I don’t think I would call it a chase. I never felt like I was in danger. It wasn’t like a car chase in a movie. They were quiet and seemed scared but it’s New York — it’s safe,” he said.
A photographer on the scene tells PEOPLE that it is “sensational” to describe the pursuit as “near catastrophic.” “Nobody got a ticket or arrested…I don’t see how it was near catastrophic other than crazy hyperbole,” they say. A second source adds, “At any point, they could have gone to a police station or pulled into a garage.”
Another source suggested that the photographers who took the footage of Harry and Meghan in the car leaving the venue may have been trying to find out where they were staying so they could follow them the next day. The source added there was no need to photograph them once they secured images of the couple entering and exiting the venue.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.Kevin Mazur/Getty
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Celebrity photo agency Backgrid USA Inc. also released a statement on the involvement of some of their freelance photographers on the ground in New York that night.
“At BACKGRID USA Inc., we value transparency and ethics in journalism, which include providing fair and factual responses to claims. We are aware ofPrince Harry’s statement regarding an alleged ‘near catastrophic car chase’ involving himself,Meghan Markle, and her mother, in New York City on Tuesday night,” the statement began.
Meghan Markle.The Image Direct
A member ofPrince Harryand Meghan’s security detail toldCNN’s Max Foster, “What we were dealing with was very chaotic…The public were in jeopardy at several points. It could have been fatal.”
source: people.com
