Prince Harry, whose mother died in a crash more than a quarter of a century ago while being hounded by paparazzi, indicated this week that he and his wife, Meghan Markle, were involved in a similar chase that narrowly avoided ending in tragedy.
The alleged incident occurred on Tuesday in Manhattan, but a number of prominent skeptics — including Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams — are not convinced that the account from the controversial royal couple is reliable.
A spokesperson said that Markle’s mother was with the couple when they were involved in a “near catastrophic car chase” while being hounded by photographers. The “relentless pursuit” allegedly lasted for more than two hours.
Of course, the size and layout of Manhattan immediately cast doubt on such a scenario, as Adams explained.
“I would find it hard to believe that there was a two-hour high-speed chase,” he said.
Even the taxi driver who reportedly picked up the couple after an event on Tuesday said that he would not use the term “chase” to describe the ride, which he said only lasted about 10 minutes.
“I never felt like I was in danger,” Sukhcharn Singh said. “It wasn’t like a car chase in a movie. They were quiet and seemed scared, but it’s New York, it’s safe.”
Although the mayor seemed more inclined to believe Singh’s account, he nevertheless noted that even “a 10-minute chase is extremely dangerous.”
The New York Police Department confirmed that its officers “assisted the private security team protecting the Duke and Duchess of Sussex” at the time of the alleged chase.
“There were numerous photographers that made their transport challenging,” the agency’s report stated. “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived at their destination and there were no reported collisions, summonses, injuries, or arrests in regard.”
Many others mocked the seemingly overblown complaints, including some who compared the situation to a recent “South Park” episode chronicling the “Worldwide Privacy Tour” of a couple resembling the duke and duchess.
“Maybe have your publicist stop calling the paparazzi to tell them where you’re at,sounds like South Park has got a sequel” 🤣🤣
Very wise word from Tyrus 🙌🙌🙌 pic.twitter.com/3VwQu7PARe— Jordan (@Jordan43572657) May 17, 2023
Mark Selden, the president of AllSTAR Security, said that in his experience, the events described by the couple’s spokesperson make “zero sense,” explaining: “You’re in a protected environment. You’re with your security.”
