I try to ignore the struggles of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. However, it’s hard to ignore the news from Wednesday, which their spokesperson called “a near catastrophic car chase.” The incident occurred Tuesday night after the couple attended an award ceremony in New York City, where Markle was awarded the Gloria Steinem-inspired “Women of Vision Award”.
A group of paparazzi chasing the Duke and Duchess and Ragland, Markle’s mother, led to a near-collision with several other drivers, pedestrians, and NYPD officers during the two-hour chase.
Being a public figure brings with it an element of public interest. However, this shouldn’t come at the cost of someone else’s safety. This dissemination is dangerous, particularly given how these images were obtained.
I found it strange that this statement was made. The only car chases that I have heard of in any city that lasts so long are those that involve people escaping from police officers and not celebrities avoiding getting their pictures taken.
It wasn’t just me who expressed skepticism over what had been said.
NewsCycle president Jon Nicosia stated: “It’s not possible to do a 2-hour chase in NYC.” There are far too many street lights, traffic lights, and police stations in NYC. There were literally hundreds of places they could have parked in order to avoid the cameras.
Byron York, of the DC Examiner, asked if anyone had “seen any photos of the ring of highly aggressive paparazzi who were responsible for the almost catastrophic car chase last night with Sussexes?” ”
He wrote, “You’d think a group of aggressive paparazzi would have many cameras …”.
While we’re waiting for clear images and video, other people involved in the events described by the Duke and Duchess have spoken to us. The NYPD and photographers had a different take on the events than what we initially heard.
ABC News has received a different version of events from Harry and Meghan’s spokesperson.
When Harry and Meghan left the Ziegfeld, two detectives from New York Police Department were waiting to accompany them home.
According to police sources, the security cameras do not show the caravan that Harry and Meghan’s source described. They only show photographers on bicycles.
Police sources say that the interaction between Harry and Meghan with the police lasted less than twenty minutes. They claim the reason the incident took as long as Meghan claimed was that the security of the couple wanted to keep their location secret. They weren’t chased.
In an official statement, the NYPD states that it “assists the private security team in protecting the Duke and Duchess Sussex.” ” The Duke and the Duchess were difficult to transport because of so many photographers. ”
The news agencies involved in the case disputed the couple’s claims and said that it was a member of Harry and Meghan’s team of security who was reckless.
Backgrid claims that the photographer said that an SUV from Harry’s entourage was “driving recklessly” blocking streets and blocking roads.
Video footage seems to support the claims made by the NYPD, a celebrity agency, and another photographer.
A photographer on the scene said it was “sensational” to call the pursuit “nearly catastrophe”. The photographer stated that “nobody was arrested, or given a citation…I cannot understand how it could have been near catastrophic other than hyperbole”. ”
PEOPLE has video footage of part of the incident. This video shows an NYPD policeman talking to a driver of an SUV parked in the street.
I would not want to be a royal or a famous person. Both jobs come with “perks” but they are both constantly harassed by the press.
Harry and Meghan’s claim is sensationalistic even though it’s easily verifiable by eyewitnesses or video cameras that are everywhere. It is even more shocking to consider that Harry’s mother, Princess Diana died in 1997 after her drunken chauffeur crashed into a Parisian tunnel as she and her companion were being followed.
Many people have claimed that Harry and Meghan are pulling a Jussie.
Shades of Smollett. “The incident occurred hours after Harry was told that UK police are not for hire amid his legal battle with UK government regarding security for him and his family.” https://t.co/8nQi3vLDLH
— Miranda Devine (@mirandadevine) May 17, 2023
Watching a literal duke and duchess try to pull a smollett style hoax in the middle of manhattan is not what I expected today, but here we are.
— a newsman (@a_newsman) May 17, 2023
I hope y’all aren’t foolish enough to believe Meghan & Harry Smollett were in a 2 hour car chase.
This doesn’t even happen to Beyoncé or the Kardashians. Please use your thinking hats today & see the desperate attention seeking tactics pic.twitter.com/47nGAzktFa— RC (@thatgirlrc) May 17, 2023
It’s amazing that both of them talk about “respecting privacy” but can’t seem to stop talking about themselves and their lives.
While I do not believe that Harry and Meghan intentionally made such a statement, the information from other sources makes it difficult to take their words without suspicion.
