Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, were not injured during what they described as a “near-catastrophic car chase” through New York, the city’s police department said on Wednesday.
The incident occurred after the couple attended an awards ceremony in New York on Tuesday night, during which the Duchess of Sussex received a Woman of Vision award.
“This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD [New York Police Department] officers,” a representative for the couple said.
The NYPD assisted the couple’s private security team after the event, said Julian Phillips, the department’s deputy commissioner for public information.
“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived at their destination and there were no reported collisions, summonses, injuries or arrests in regard.”
New York Mayor Eric Adams described the incident as “a bit reckless and irresponsible”.
“A lot of people are using our streets – any type of high-speed chase that involves something of that nature is inappropriate,” Mr Adams said.
The couple’s representative said the pursuit lasted two hours and “resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers”.
Prince Harry has long blamed the paparazzi for the death of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales, who was killed along with Dodi Al Fayed when the limousine they were in crashed as it was pursued by photographers in Paris.
