A New York City taxi driver who picked up Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle during what they claim was a “near-catastrophic car chase” with paparazzi has shared more details of the drama.
Sonny Singh told an Australian radio station later on Thursday that Harry and Meghan were “nervous and scared” when they swapped into his cab after he was hailed by a member of their security detail.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and her mother, Doria Ragland, were reportedly chased by photographers after leaving the Women of Vision Awards at NY City’s Ziegfeld Ballroom on Wednesday (US time).
“There was no yelling and panic but the looks on their faces, you can tell that they were nervous and scared because they’ve been through this for the past two hours,” Mr Singh said.
Referencing Harry’s late mother, Diana, who was killed in a car accident in Paris in 1997 after being chased by paparazzi, Mr Singh said: “It is tough for them because Harry lost his mother … so I think their experience was more dramatic than mine. They were in the cab with me only 15 minutes.”
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‘Hard to believe’ car chase lasted two hours: NYC mayor
In a statement, a representative for the couple said the incident involved half a dozen cars with blacked-out windows, driving dangerously and putting lives in danger.
“Last night, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and [Meghan’s mother Doria] Ragland were involved in a near catastrophic car chase at the hands of a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi,” it said.
“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 short time later, the mayor of New York City, Eric Adams, said the incident was “reckless” and “irresponsible”. But he said it was “hard to believe” there was a two-hour high-speed chase, given NYC is so densely populated.
He said he was concerned about reports after a statement from the couple’s spokesperson described “multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers”.
“It’s clear that the press, the paparazzi, they want to get the right shot … but public safety must always be at the forefront,” Mr Adams said.
During the reported chase, Mr Singh and his cab were hailed outside a police station, where security guards asked him if he wanted a fare.
Vision posted on social media shows Harry filming paparazzi taking photos around the taxi, including when it stopped. Other angles show Meghan sitting in the middle of the back seat without a seat belt on.
“There was nobody being called … he was talking to some other guy, their security guy, and he was just telling the other guy ‘hey we’re coming your way’ and then he was just about to give me the address but the paparazzi came out of nowhere,” Singh told the FM radio station.
“[They were] just flashing the car with cameras, surrounding the whole cab. There was a cop behind us. He started honking and blasting horn so the garbage truck moved (which was blocking their path) and we went around the block and dropped them back off.”
Singh said “maybe one guy in a scooter” was following his cab.
“There were two cars that were following us, a Honda Accord and a Honda CRV,” he said.
He said the couple paid their $US17.80 ($26.70) fare when he eventually dropped them off.
Mr Singh earlier told The Washington Post: “I never felt like I was in danger. It wasn’t like a car chase in a movie. They (the couple) were quiet and seemed scared but it’s New York – it’s safe.”
“I have never seen, experienced anything like this. What we were dealing with was very chaotic. There were about a dozen vehicles: cars, scooters and bicycles,” Mr Sanchez said.
“The public were in jeopardy at several points. It could have been fatal. They were jumping curbs and red lights. At one point they blocked the limousine [carrying the couple] and started taking pictures until we were able to get out.”
Police said the incident was “challenging” but there were no collisions and no one was hurt.
Mr Sanchez said he “was concerned about the principals (Prince Harry and Meghan) but more about the public because they (the paparazzi) were being so erratic. People were on sidewalks and crossing streets and the (paparazzi) were crossing red lights. We did everything by the letter of law.”
The NYPD said it was assisting the Sussexes’ private security team earlier on Tuesday night, and that “there were numerous photographers that made their transport challenging.”
“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived at their destination and there were no reported collisions, summonses, injuries, or arrests in regard,” the NYPD’s deputy commissioner for public information, Julian Phillips, said.
