Harry and Meghan complain about paparazzi persecution

PAccording to British media reports, rinz Harry and Duchess Meghan were involved in a “nearly catastrophic” car hunt. As the BBC reports, citing a spokesman for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Harry, Meghan and Meghan’s mother were returning from an awards show in New York. Paparazzi are said to have been involved in the chase. According to the spokesman, the incident resulted in “several near misses involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two New York City police officers.” There was initially no other source for the incident.

The New York City Police Department (NYPD) later gave a less dramatic account. Harry Meghan’s private security team was supported. “There were many photographers who made the transportation a challenge,” the NYPD said in a statement Wednesday. Ultimately, however, the couple arrived at their destination – “and there have been no reported accidents, subpoenas, injuries or arrests in this regard”.

Apparently a chase like something out of an action movie

New York Mayor Eric Adams condemned the incident as “reckless and irresponsible.” “It is clear that the press, the paparazzi, want to get the right photos,” New York City Mayor Adams said on Wednesday afternoon (local time) when asked at a press conference on a different topic. “But public safety must always come first.” He was told that two police officers could have been injured. However, he finds it “hard to believe” that the incident should have lasted two hours. Given the masses of vehicles and people on the streets of New York, a minute-long chase could be “extremely dangerous”.

According to the Guardian, the chase lasted more than two hours. “While there is always some public interest in well-known figures, the safety of anyone should never be compromised,” the couple’s rep said.

According to dpa information from the couple’s environment, scenes are said to have played out like in an action film that could have ended “deadly”. Six vehicles with darkened windows raced ruthlessly around the celebrity convoy. Cars slammed down the sidewalk and shot through red lights, backing up on a one-way street and blocking a moving car. The drivers took pictures at the wheel and made phone calls.

Memories of Lady Di

Although repeatedly confronted by uniformed police officers, they rushed off to continue the pursuit. There are recordings of security guards who documented what was happening. However, there are no immediate plans to make corresponding film recordings public, said a spokeswoman for the couple when asked by dpa. As the dpa learned, the couple stayed with friends and did not want to lead the paparazzi to their address.

The incident brings back memories of the tragic accident of Harry’s mother, Lady Di, who was also being followed by paparazzi before her death. However, the driver, who was drunk, was to blame for the accident. The theory that the celebrity photographers were to blame for Diana’s accident has been thrown out by courts.

The incident described in New York is likely to cause further damage to the already miserable relationship between 38-year-old Harry and the tabloid press. Harry keeps blaming the British “tabloids” for his mother’s death. In a BBC documentary he once said: “Every time she went out there was a pack of people waiting for her. Like a pack of dogs, they followed her, chased her, harassed her, insulted her, spat on her, tried to get a reaction, the one photo of her thrashing about.”

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle said goodbye to the front row of the Royals in 2020, since then the couple has lived in the US state of California. Since then, they have repeatedly caused a stir and displeasure in the United Kingdom with clear criticism of the royal family. Harry recently attended the coronation of his father, King Charles III, in London. part; Meghan and her two children, Archie and Lilibet, stayed away from the ceremony.