Prince Harry and Meghan Markle involved in 'near catastrophic car chase' involving paparazzi

Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, were involved in a near ‘catastrophic’ car chase after being followed by paparazzi.

The incident happened on Tuesday night (16 May) after they left an awards ceremony with Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland.

A spokesperson for the couple has said that car chase had been ‘relentless’, revealing that other drivers, pedestrians and two NYPD (New York Police Department) officers had also nearly been involved.

Andy Myatt / Alamy Stock Photo

Prior to the chase, the couple had been attending the Ms. Foundation's 50th Anniversary Women of Vision Gala event in New York.

Meghan was accepting an award at the ceremony and it was also Prince Harry’s first public appearance since King Charles’ coronation.

At the event, she told attendees: "It's never too late to start. You can be the visionary of your own life... There is still so much work to be done."

After the gala Harry, Meghan and Doria had been pursued by the press in an intense 'car chase' lasting almost two hours, with a spokesperson later releasing a statement on their behalf.

Netflix

"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," the spokesperson revealed.

"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."

Netflix

The couple stepped away from royal duties back in 2020 and began a new life in the US with their children Archie and Lilibet.

Since then, they have spoken about the intrusion into their private lives in their Netflix documentary, Harry & Meghan.

During the high-profile docs-series, Harry also expressed his anger about the paparazzi's involvement in the death of his mother, Princess Diana.

"The majority of my memories are being swarmed by paparazzi," he said, adding: "Rarely would we have a holiday without someone with a camera jumping out of a bush. Within the family, the system, the advice is always 'don't react, don't feed into it.'"