On May 16, Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle were involved in a paparazzi car chase that almost ended in a crash. The dangerous event is extremely reminiscent of what happened to Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, who died in a crash in 1997 after being chased through Paris by photographers. Harry has reportedly been thinking of the parallels since, and a source told People that the couple has been “shaken” since the incident.
“It was a disturbing situation, and they were shaken, but they are glad everyone’s okay,” the source said. They added that photographers were attempting to pursue Harry and Meghan after they were seen leaving the Ms. Foundation’s Women of Vision Awards in order to find where they were staying while visiting New York City.
The Duke of Sussex told friends the experience was the “closest I have ever felt” to understanding what his mother faced.
After the chase, a source for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said the couple and Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland were in a “near catastrophic car chase” as they were pursued by “a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi.”
“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,” said the statement. “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.”
The NYPD confirmed the situation in a statement as well, saying, “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.”
Aimée Lutkin is the weekend editor at ELLE.com. Her writing has appeared in Jezebel, Glamour, Marie Claire and more. Her first book, The Lonely Hunter, will be released by Dial Press in February 2022.