Prince Harry, wife Meghan Markle and her mother were pursued by paparazzi for two hours in a “near catastrophic car chase” that involved multiple near collisions, a representative for the prince claims.
The chase happened in New York City as the trio were leaving the Women of Vision Awards ceremony, where Meghan had been honoured.
Harry’s spokesman said half a dozen cars with blacked-out windows hounded them through the city, driving dangerously and putting their lives at risk.
“Last night, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and [Doria] Ragland were involved in a near-catastrophic car chase at the hands of a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi,” the couple’s representative said in a statement.
“This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers.”
The paparazzi have been accused of driving on the footpath, running red lights, and driving while taking pictures.
Those involved in the chase were confronted by police officers multiple times, according to the statement.
The couple was shaken by the incident but otherwise unharmed.
Celebrity website TMZ reports that the trio escaped the chase when their four-wheel-drive pulled over and they jumped into a New York taxi.
The prince has long spoken out about his anger about press intrusion, which he blames for the death of his mother Princess Diana. She died after her limousine crashed as it fled pursuing paparazzi in Paris in 1997.
The incident on Tuesday (local time) could also have been fatal, the couple’s representative said.
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New York City Mayor Eric Adams said the chase was “extremely dangerous”, as he slammed the “reckless paparazzi”.
The mayor said he had been briefed that two NYPD officers could have been injured in the incident.
“I don’t think there’s many of us who don’t recall how, how his mum died,” Mr Adams said.
“It would be horrific to lose an innocent bystander during a chase like this and something to have happened to them as well.”
However, the mayor said he found it hard to believe the chase would have been at high speed for the entire two hours.
“If it’s 10 minutes, a 10-minute chase is extremely dangerous in New York City,” he said.
The New York Police Department said it had assisted the private security team protecting the Sussexes.
“There were numerous photographers that made their transport challenging,” it said.
“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived at their destination and there were no reported collisions, summonses, injuries or arrests in regard.”
The Ms Foundation for Women, which organised the awards ceremony where Meghan was honoured for her work, had no immediate comment.
Buckingham Palace also had no comment.
Pictures have since appeared on social media showing Harry, Meghan and Ms Ragland sitting in the back of a New York taxi that their representative said showed “a small glimpse at the defence and decoys required to end the harassment”.
The couple, who live in California with their two young children, had been staying at a private residence. They decided against returning there as they did not wish to compromise their host’s safety, according to their statement.
“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,” the statement said.
“Dissemination of these images, given the ways in which they were obtained, encourages a highly intrusive practice that is dangerous to all involved.”
Harry and Meghan quit royal roles in 2020 and moved to the US, partly because of what they described as intense media harassment.
The prince is involved in numerous court cases in London, where he has accused papers of using unlawful methods to target him and his family.
