Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made headlines this week following what sounded like a dangerous situation. The two and Markle’s mother were involved in a “near catostrophic” car chase that reportedly saw the party pursued by paparazzi while they were in a taxi. After the ordeal occurred on the evening of Tuesday, May 16, a rep for the pair of royals spoke out and chastised the press for their purported actions. At the same time, alleged details regarding the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s place in the sequence of events are also coming to the surface. And right now, rumors are swirling that they had a hotel room snafu before the pursuit occurred.
The widely known married couple were in New York when everything went down, as Meghan Markle was being honored at the Ms. Foundation Women of Vision Awards. While in the Big Apple, they reportedly wanted to stay at the Carlyle, which was a favorite of Prince Harry’s mother, Princess Diana. However, things didn’t pan out as they’d hoped, as the heads of the establishment apparently turned down their request for a discounted room. According to Page Six, the royals ultimately opted to stay in the Upper East Side at a friend’s home. The news outlet’s source, who’s allegedly with New York law enforcement, believes that decision contributed to the precarious pursuit that would eventually take place:
Harry and Meghan’s people called the Carlyle ahead of the trip and asked for a discounted room, and the hotel said no. If they had just paid up and got a hotel in the first place, this supposed ‘dangerous’ paparazzi chase around town would never have happened. They would have been driven back to the Carlyle, been photographed going inside and that would have been the end of it.
Based on the comments, the overall reasoning seems to be that the Duke and Duchess would’ve been far more secure had they opted to stay at the hotel. It’s worth mentioning that both have stayed at that particular Rosewood Hotels & Resorts location several times over the years. As of right now, the company hasn’t released a statement regarding any conversations with the royal’s reps this time around. The NY law enforcement source, however, had some very honest thoughts:
They should have just gotten a hotel for the safety of everyone. Instead, they were cheap and wanted a free place to stay.
Other shared sentiments would seem to indicate that the comments Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s rep shared about that night were somewhat overblown. Their cab driver weighed in this week and said that he’s not sure he would’ve described it as a “chase,” per say. Additionally, he said that throughout the event, “ever felt like I was in danger,” while noting that his famous passengers “were quiet and seemed scared but it’s New York — it’s safe.”
In the aftermath, the royals are aiming to obtain the car chase footage from photography agency Backgrid. However, the organization vehemently denied the request and noted that in the United States, “property belongs to the owner of it.” The company asserted that “third parties cannot just demand it be given to them, as perhaps Kings can do.”
There’s no telling how the fallout from Prince Harry, who recently attended his King Charles coronation, and Meghan Markle’s car pursuit situation will continue to play out. But at the very least, if additional details continue to come to light, they may paint a better picture of exactly what happened that night.
