The couple changed vehicles to avoid being followed
Prince Harry, his wife Meghan and her mother, Doris Ragland, were involved in a “near catastrophic car chase” involving paparazzi photographers after they attended the Women of Vision Awards ceremony in New York.
On Tuesday, Meghan was presented with the an award at the “Women of Vision Awards” for her global advocacy to advocate on behalf of women and girls. The duchess attended the glittering awards ceremony alongside her husband, Prince Harry, and her mother, Doria Ragland.
Shortly after the event, the couple, together with Meghan’s mother, were followed by photographers in Midtown Manhattan. The trio took refuge at a New York City police station.
According to a spokesperson for the couple, the relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers.
The royal couple did not want photographers to know where they were staying in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Hence, they had a plan to switch vehicles while en route to their residence.
They planned to use a taxi cab where Harry, Meghan, Ms.Ragland and a security officer entered the vehicle. The cab driver, Sukhcharn Singh, told The Associated Press that he instantly recognized his passengers when they scooted in. “They were following us the whole time,” he said of the paparazzi.
Photographers followed the couple for 75 minutes up and down the Franklin D. Roosevelt East River Drive, the main thoroughfare of Manhattan’s East Side, sources said.
Julian Phillips, the NYPD’s deputy commissioner of public information, said officers “assisted the private security team protecting the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.”
“There were numerous photographers that made their transport challenging,” Phillips said in a statement. “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived at their destination and there were no reported collisions, summonses, injuries, or arrests in regard.”
Buckingham Palace has not yet commented.