Prince Harry, Meghan and her mother were involved in a “near catastrophic car chase” involving paparazzi, a spokesperson for the couple has claimed.<\/p>\n
The incident happened after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended an awards ceremony in New York on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
In a statement, their spokesperson said the “relentless pursuit” lasted for over two hours.<\/p>\n
They added it resulted in near collisions.<\/p>\n
The BBC has not been able to independently verify the details.<\/p>\n
In a statement, the New York Police Department (NYPD) confirmed an incident took place and said that numerous photographers “made their [Harry and Meghan’s] transport challenging”.<\/p>\n
No injuries or arrests were reported. Buckingham Palace has not yet commented.<\/p>\n
There are claims the chase involved half a dozen cars, with reckless driving including going through red lights, driving on the pavement, carrying out blocking moves, and reversing down a one way-way street – as well as taking photographs while driving.<\/p>\n
Details are emerging of what seem to have been chaotic scenes. The couple, plus Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland, tried to take shelter from the paparazzi by going to a Manhattan police station.<\/p>\n
There was then a plan to use a New York taxi, with a cab flagged down and Harry and Meghan getting inside, but in the end that was spotted and they reverted to their own security vehicles.<\/p>\n
The taxi’s driver, Sukhcharn Singh, said he never felt in danger and would not “call it a chase”.<\/p>\n
“They were quiet and seemed scared but it’s New York – it’s safe,” he told the\u00a0Washington Post<\/i>.<\/p>\n
The BBC understands the pair were staying at a friend’s home, and did not return directly to avoid compromising their security.<\/p>\n
It’s also claimed that the presence of New York police officers did not stop the pursuit. The couple use private security while in the US.<\/p>\n
“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,” the couple’s spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
“Dissemination of these images, given the ways in which they were obtained, encourages a highly intrusive practice that is dangerous to all involved.”<\/p>\n