PRINCE Harry and Meghan Markle’s claims of a “near catastrophic” car chase have been disputed by cops.
The Duke, 38, and Duchess of Sussex, 41, said yesterday that they had been involved in a “car chase” with paparazzi in New York – which reportedly lasted for almost two hours.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were allegedly followed home after leaving a New York gala on Tuesday night
Meghan’s mum Doria Ragland was also in the car at the time, a spokesperson said
In a statement, the spokesperson also called it a “relentless pursuit”, which could have been “catastrophic”.
But American police sources told ABC News that they only had 20 minutes of interaction with Harry and Meghan.
This seems at odds with the Sussexes’ statement, which claimed that the incident lasted two hours.
However, it may well be that Harry and Meghan were not interacting with cops throughout the whole incident.
NYPD sources also told the outlet that the footage they reviewed so far does not show the kind of near “catastrophic” behaviour from their statement, according to the outlet.
Meanwhile, a high-ranking police source told the New York Post that there were “no collision reports of 911 calls” and that the chase “definitely wasn’t two hours”.
In a statement yesterday an NYPD spokesperson had said: “The NYPD assisted the private security team protecting the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
“There were numerous photographers that made their transport challenging.
“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived at their destination and there were no reported collisions, summonses, injuries, or arrests in regard.”
Police sources stressed that “at no time was there a high-speed chase”.
But two wheels of one vehicle did jump a curb at one point and two uniformed officers reported being “nearly missed” as the paparazzi took off.
The couple were in the Big Apple for a Ms Foundation gala where Meghan was presented with the 2023 Women of Vision Award.
They entered and left the venue publicly allowing for pictures.
The cab driver who took Harry and Meghan on part of their journey has since told of his experience, adding he didn’t feel he was in danger at any point.
Speaking to NBC News, Sukhcharn Singh said: “I think that’s all you know, exaggerated and stuff like that.
“So don’t read too much into that, you know.
“New York City is the safest place to be.
“There’s police stations, there’s cops on every corner, so there’s no reason to be afraid in New York.”
Mr Singh reportedly picked up the couple, her mother Doria Ragland and a security officer from a Manhattan police station, after the group had been taken there in another car as part of their security detail.
They reportedly payed Mr Singh $50 (£40) for the short journey of around 10 minutes.
He squashed any suggestion the “chase” was like something out of a movie.
Speaking to Piers Morgan on TalkTV last night he said the couple “seemed nervous” when they got into his yellow taxi cab.
The cabbie added: “We went a block, we were blocked by a trash truck and all of a sudden paparazzi came out of nowhere and flashes just went off. I saw six paparazzi.”
And a paparazzi driver reportedly involved in the alleged chase said it was “very tense” trying to keep up with one of their vehicles.
Speaking anonymously to ITV’s Good Morning Britain on Thursday, he said: “Last night after leaving the theatre, there were hopes from me and a few other photographers that maybe they would go to a restaurant.
“For the most part, I was driving and it was very tense trying to keep up with the vehicles.
“They did a lot of blocking and there was a lot of different type of manoeuvres to stop what was happening.
He claimed Harry and Meghan’s driver was the one who made the pursuit “a catastrophic experience”. It is not clear which driver he was referring to.
He added: “Their driver was making it a catastrophic experience… if they were going 80mph, I would probably have been going 20mph behind them and hoping to keep sight of them.
“So if it was dangerous and catastrophic, it was more than likely based on the person that was driving.”
The couple were in the Big Apple so Meghan could be recognised for her work fighting for women’s rights.
They entered and left the venue publicly allowing for pictures.
Meghan’s mum Doria Ragland was also said to be in the car at the time.
The New York Police Department said the situation had been “challenging” but there were “no reported collisions”.
The force said: “The NYPD assisted the private security team protecting the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
“There were numerous photographers that made their transport challenging.
“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived at their destination and there were no reported collisions, summonses, injuries, or arrests in regard.”
Meghan was presented with the 2023 Women of Vision Award at a Ms Foundation gala where she gave a short speech.
The trio then left to go back to a private residence where they were staying as they did not want to compromise the security of their friend’s home, it’s reported.
In a full statement the couple’s spokesperson said: “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.
“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 involved.”
It has since been reported neither Harry or Meghan have heard from the Royal Family following the ordeal.
Meghan’s pal Omid Scobie told ABC News: “I was really shocked to hear from sources that neither Harry nor Meghan had heard from any members of the Royal Family – even some hours after this story had broken.”
However, royal expert Angela Levin has rubbished the claims adding: “People talking about it are people who don’t like the Monarchy and are finding any excuse to bring them down.”
