A friend of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle has hinted at a big life decision the pair will have to make following their near-car crash in New York City earlier this week.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were followed by paparazzi after attending an awards ceremony with the duchess's mother, Doria Ragland, in New York on Tuesday, the couple's spokesperson said.
Royal writer Carolyn Durand, who co-wrote Finding Freedom with Omid Scobie, said Harry and Meghan are "chased all the time" and added that following his mother's death, the Duke of Sussex wants to protect his family.
The author claimed that the couple need to find a balance between whether they want privacy and how to deal with photographers chasing them.
She told Sky News: "The Duke and Duchess want to create the compromise where they can live a quieter life in California, but still highlight the issues that are important to both of them. And I think that that's laudable, certainly.
"They'll have to make a determination about what the balance is: if they really want that life of privacy and how you balance that with people chasing you on the streets of New York or LA or London."
The Editor's Code of Conduct in the UK prohibits the use of paparazzi pictures gained from any kind of pursuit - as a result no such chase as that claimed in New York on Tuesday night could not happen in the UK.
Since Princess Diana's death, news organisations in the UK stopped publishing uncommissioned photographs and changed the editors’ code of practice to prohibit the publication of paparazzi pictures involving any kind of pursuit.
Instead, the royal family often provide official photographs of the royal children and other figures, and regularly issue strict reminders editors, via the press watchdog, of their family's to privacy.
It is understood no members of the royal family had reached out to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as of 10pm on Wednesday. A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman declined to comment.
The Duke of Sussex's former bodyguard told Good Morning Britain that security should have been "properly stage managed".
Speaking on Thursday, Ken Wharfe said: "The protection team he has got at the moment has never dealt with such a high-profile celebrity as Harry and Meghan."
He added: "I will make the point here from my own experience ... the paparazzi, at best, can be talked to, but at worst they're a nuisance.
"But they're not out to cause the death of any one person. So, I think we have to be a little bit careful there."
In an earlier statement on Wednesday, a spokesperson for Harry and Meghan said: "Last night, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Ms Ragland were involved in a near catastrophic car chase at the hands of a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi.
"This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers.
"While being a public figure comes with a level of interest from the public, it should never come at the cost of anyone's safety.
"Dissemination of these images, given the ways in which they were obtained, encourages a highly intrusive practice that is dangerous to all involved."
A taxi driver who claimed to have carried them for part of the journey told The Washington Post his vehicle was pursued by two cars: a black Honda Accord and a grey Honda CR-V.
However, Sukhcharn Singh told the BBC claims about the paparazzi chasing them may have been exaggerated as they were not "aggressive".
Mr Singh, who goes by the name Sonny, told The Washington Post: "I don't think I would call it a chase. I never felt like I was in danger. It wasn't like a car chase in a movie. They were quiet and seemed scared but it's New York - it's safe."
The New York Police Department, which deployed officers to help escort the duke and duchess, said "numerous photographers" had "made their transport difficult" on Tuesday evening.
The statement said there were "no reported collisions, summonses, injuries or arrests".
