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The New York Police Department’s Chief of Intelligence confirms that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were chased by paparazzi in New York City last year
Harry and Meghan were chased by paparazzi in New York (Image: Getty)
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle claimed they were involved in a car chase in New York City last May, as they were followed by paparazzi for hours on end.
In an official statement, the couple said that they were involved in a “near catastrophic car chase” after leaving an awards ceremony.
Now, the New York Police Department (NYPD) has confirmed that the incident did take place.
The police department said in a statement: “We found the following: reckless disregard of vehicle and traffic laws and persistently dangerous and unacceptable behavior on the part of the paparazzi during the night in question.”
A senior officer at the NYPD has said the city now holds enough evidence to arrest two people for reckless endangerment and has also upgraded its security protocol for visits by Prince Harry and Meghan following the incident last May.
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The couple were attending an awards ceremony in New York (Image: Getty)
The couple were initially mocked for their claims that the chase could have been “catastrophic”, with both the driver that transported them in his cab and the New York Mayor Eric Adams questioning their choice of words.
Taxi driver Sukhcharn Singh said: “I never felt like I was in danger. …It’s New York—it’s safe” while Mr Adams stated: “I would find it hard to believe that there was a two-hour high speed chase.”
At the time a spokesman for the NYPD said: “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.”
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The Sussexes have now been vindicated (Image: Getty)
Now the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been vindicated after it was ruled that the car chase did indeed take place and could have been “dangerous” for them.
The NYPD Chief of Intelligence wrote a letter to the head of the Met Police in London on December 6 2023 in which they stated “certain changes to the security posture that will be afforded to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex” after a “thorough review” of the events of May 16 last year.
The intelligence chief wrote: “We found the following: reckless disregard of vehicle and traffic laws and persistently dangerous and unacceptable behavior on the part of the paparazzi during the night in question.
Harry and Meghan have spoken out about paparazzi intrusion (Image: Getty)
“The individuals operated vehicles, scooters, and bicycles in a manner that forced the security team, which included an NYPD Lead Car, to take evasive actions on several occasions and a circuitous route to avoid being struck by pursuing vehicles or trapped on side blocks.
“Our conclusion, upon review with the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, is that we have sufficient evidence to arrest two individuals for reckless endangerment.”
The news will likely come as consolation to Harry, after he lost his court case against the Home Office earlier today when the judge found that the decision to strip him of his taxpayer-funded security was not unlawful.
The Prince has consistenly raised the issue of paparazzi harassment as an issue, after his mother Princess Diana was killed in 1997 as her car was being chased through the streets of Paris.
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