The New York Police Department (NYPD) only partially confirms information sent by Prince Harry’s spokesperson, according to which he and his wife, Meghan, allegedly took part in a car chase that was supposed to turn into a “catastrophe” through paparazzi photographers, the British press reports, News.ro reports.

“The NYPD assisted the private security team that was guarding the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. There were many photographers who made their transportation difficult. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived at their destination and there were no collisions, challenges, injuries or arrests as a result did not arrive”. “, the New York police said in a statement quoted by the BBC.

NYPD says pursuit ‘was nowhere near catastrophic’

In turn, Sky News writes that two representatives of the New York police said that the incident was not as serious as described by the couple’s spokesman. Sources said they did not believe the pursuit was “close to catastrophic” and described only a “slightly chaotic scene.”

Britain’s Prince Harry, his wife Meghan and her mother were involved in a “near catastrophic car chase” by paparazzi photographers after attending an awards ceremony in New York, the prince’s spokesman said on Wednesday.

According to a spokesman, the incident involved six cars with tinted windows driving dangerously and endangering the lives of the couple and Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland.

“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Mrs. Ragland were involved in a near-catastrophic car chase last night with a group of extremely aggressive paparazzi,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “This relentless pursuit, which lasted over two hours, resulted in several near misses involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers,” the carrier said in a word-of-mouth statement.

The couple was shaken by the incident but was not physically hurt, their representative said.

The mayor of New York says it would be terrible if something happened to them

A spokesman for the couple said Tuesday’s chase after they left the Ziegfeld Ballroom in midtown Manhattan could have been fatal and involved paparazzi driving on the sidewalk, running red lights and driving while taking pictures. . According to the spokesman, those who took part in the chase repeatedly received remarks from the police.

But a spokesman for the New York Police Department said he could not confirm any information about the incident, Reuters reported.

“I don’t think there are many people among us who don’t remember how her mother died,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams told reporters, referring to the circumstances of Princess Diana’s death. “And it would be terrible to lose an innocent person during such a chase and something happened to them,” the mayor added.

He said he would get a detailed report from authorities later, but said he found it hard to believe there was a two-hour high-speed chase.

“If it’s 10 minutes, and a 10-minute chase is extremely dangerous in New York,” Adams commented.

The Dukes of Sussex wanted the paparazzi not to know where they stayed

In the pictures that appeared on social networks, Harry, Meghan and her mother are sitting in the back seat of a taxi in New York. Their spokesman said the pictures only show a “tiny glimpse” of the methods the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had to resort to in order to protect themselves, fool their pursuers and end the pursuit.

The couple, who live in California with their two young children, stayed at a private residence but decided not to return because they didn’t want to put a person’s safety at risk, their spokesman said.

“If there is some level of public interest involved in being a public figure, it should never come at the expense of someone’s safety,” the spokesman said. “The distribution of these images, given the manner in which they were obtained, encourages a highly intrusive practice that is dangerous for all involved,” he concluded.

NYPD sources quoted by Sky News gave the following description of what happened on Tuesday night: Harry and Meghan left the Ziegfeld Ballroom, accompanied by a private bodyguard, around 10:00 p.m. local time. The couple wanted to get back to where they left off on the Upper East Side. Harry and Meghan didn’t want the paparazzi to know where they were going, so they were driven around 57th Street and other streets for about an hour and fifteen minutes. Their car was escorted by a New York City police car. The Sussexes were brought to ward 19 and stayed there for about 15 minutes. Police helped the two out of the building and they got into another car. They reached their place of residence without being followed. Police admitted it was a bit of a chaotic scene.

The Ms. Women’s Foundation, which organized the ceremony honoring Meghan for her work, has yet to comment. Buckingham Palace also did not comment, according to Reuters.

Harry and the battle with the press

Prince Harry has long spoken of his anger at the “intrusive” actions of the media, which he blames for the death of his mother, Princess Diana, who died in a car crash in Paris in 1997 while trying to escape paparazzi following her.

Harry never hid his aversion to the press, stemming from his mother’s treatment of him and his own experiences, especially when he was younger.

In his memoir Spare, the couple’s Netflix documentary series, and television interviews, he condemned the British tabloids for invading his and his family’s private lives, which was one of the main reasons they Meghan has been urged to step back from their royal roles in 2020 and move to the United States.

The prince is currently involved in numerous legal proceedings in London, in which he accuses newspapers of using illegal methods against him and his family. While the papers deny almost all of his allegations, the publisher last week apologized for illegally searching for information about him in 2004.

Harry is also seeking to overturn the British government’s decision to withdraw his special police protection while in the UK.