It has been reported that Prince Harry, Meghan Markleand her mother, Doria Ragland, have been involved in a 'near catastrophic' car chase after being chased by paparazzi.
According to Sky News, the frightening incident happened straight after Meghan and Harry attended an awards ceremony in New York on Tuesday, where Meghan received the Ms. Foundation’s Women of Vision Award at the Foundation’s Annual Gala at the Ziegfeld Ballroom.
What happened during Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Paparazzi chase?
It was reported that the paparazzi chase lasted over two hours, with many Googling Harry Meghan car crash. Prince Harry'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 in involved.'
Harry, Meghan and her mother Doria Ragland are understood to have been followed by half a dozen blacked-out vehicles which were being driven by unidentified people.The vehicles are said to have driven on pavements, jumped red lights and reversed down a one-way street.
It is also understood at least one driver was using their phone behind the wheel. At least one other is said to have been photographing while driving. One of the cars is also thought to have illegally blocked a moving vehicle. Those pursuing the Sussexes are understood to have been confronted by uniformed police multiple times but continued their pursuit. Omid Scobie, who wrote the book 'Finding Freedom' about Harry and Meghan, has tweeted to say a source has said the Sussexes and Ms Ragland are 'understandably shaken but thankful everyone's safe.'
Many have stated that this frightening incident is reminiscent of the death of his mother, Princess Diana. The Prince has long spoken out about his anger about press intrusion which he blames for the death of his mother, Princess Diana, who was killed when her limousine crashed as it sped away from chasing paparazzi in Paris in 1997.
In the media Prince Harry has shared several of his fears about 'history repeating itself' in the case of his wife, Meghan Markle. He first compared the media’s treatment of his mother to his wife Meghan during the couple’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfreyin March 2021. 'My biggest fear was history repeating itself,' he said during the sit-down interview, which aired on CBS.
He told Winfrey, 'I’m just really relieved and happy to be sitting here talking to you with my wife by my side because I can’t begin to imagine what it must have been like for her [Diana] going through this process by herself all those years ago. Because it’s been unbelievably tough for the two of us but at least we have each other.'
Prince Harry also spoke on the tragic topic again during the five-episode docuseries The Me You Can’t See. He said, ' My mother was chased to her death while she was in a relationship with someone that wasn’t white. And now look at what’s happened. You wanna talk about history repeating itself, they’re not gonna stop until she dies.' Adding, 'It’s incredibly triggering to potentially lose another woman in my life.'
A Reported Timeline Of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Paparazzi Chase
Police sources in New York have reportedly given the following breakdown of what happened on Tuesday night.
10pm: Prince Harry and Meghan leave the Ziegfeld Ballroom with private security with them at around 10pm local time. Police stated that the couple wanted to go back to where they were staying on the Upper East Side.
11:15pm: Prince Harry and Meghan didn't want paparazzi to know where they were going so they were driven across 57th street and other streets for about an hour and fifteen minutes. One NYPD vehicle was escorting their vehicle.
11:30pm onwards : The Sussexes were driven to the 19th precinct and stayed there around 15 minutes. Police helped get the pair get off the block and they got into a different car. They got to their residence without being followed. Police have said it was a bit of a chaotic scene.
The car chase comes after report that a man suspected of stalking the couple was arrested outside their home in Santa Barbara County, California, in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Kevin Garcia Valdovinos, 29, was allegedly seen 'lurking' outside the mansion in Montecito at around 2am, according to TMZ, and was booked on misdemeanor stalking charges after police attended the scene.
The Ms. Foundation for Women is co-founded by feminist icon and activist Gloria Steinem, a friend of Meghan's, who presented her with the award last night. Meghan encouraged women to fight for equity as she accepted the award at the gala. Addressing the audience the Duchess told the crowd, 'It's just never too late to start. You can be the visionary of your own life. You can charter a path in which what you repeat in your daily acts of service, in kindness, in advocacy, in grace and in fairness, that those become the very things that are recognised by the next wave of women, both young and old, who will also choose this moment to join the movement and make our vision for an equitable world reality.'
The event was the first public event Meghan Markle and Prince Harry attended since the King's Coronation**,**which the Duchess did not attend. Prince Harry came to watch his father, King Charles III, be crowned, but swiftly departed to rejoin his wife and two children in California.