New York City Mayor Eric Adams cast doubt on the Sussex’s allegations that paparazzi followed them through the streets of the Big Apple for “over two hours.”
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had a starry night out at the 2023 Women of Vision Awards on Tuesday night, where the duchess was honored “for her global advocacy to empower and advocate on behalf of women and girls.”
When they left, history nearly repeated itself, when the royal couple, and Markle’s mother, Doria Ragland, were aggressively tailed by shutterbugs trying to take a covet snap, after they reportedly “dodged” cameras before and after the event.
According to a spokesperson, “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.”
The Sussex-Ragland Family is stunning tonight! Check out Prince Harry, Meghan, and Mama Doria. 🫶✨#CongratulationsMeghan pic.twitter.com/Kf5rRDSXGz
— ✨Amelie 🕰️✨ (@TheLakesDuchess) May 16, 2023
“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,” the statement concluded.
NYC Mayor Eric Adams chastised the paparazzi for following after the trio, but cast doubt on the Sussexes’ recollection of the car chase’s time frame.
This is the video of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s alleged “near catastrophic crash.” 🚕📸⬇️
The Sussex’s ditched their 4 vehicle motorcade to get into a Taxi for a photo op.
They had multiple NYPD vehicles escorting the taxi in a heavily guarded secure motorcade.
The… pic.twitter.com/PhMJk8t8m4
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) May 17, 2023
“I would find it hard to believe there was a two-hour high-speed chase,” Adams told reporters on Wednesday.
He said that even a ten-minute chase would be “extremely dangerous in New York City.”
“We have a lot of traffic, a lot of movement, a lot of people are using our streets,” Adams continued.
“Any type of high-speed chase that involves something of that nature is inappropriate.”
The elected official noted that even police officers do so on a limited basis, and only in pursuit of violent offenders.
“It’s clear that the paparazzi want to get the right shot, they want to get the right story, but public safety must always be at the forefront,” Adams remarked.
NYC Mayor Eric Adams casts doubt on Meghan Markle & Prince Harry’s story:
“I would find it hard to believe that there was a two-hour high speed chase.”pic.twitter.com/W3OHK5dHWR
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) May 17, 2023
He pointed out that Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, was killed in a high-speed crash while being hounded by paparazzi through Paris in 1997.
“You shouldn’t be speeding anywhere, but this is a densely populated city, and I think all of us, I don’t think there’s many of us who don’t recall how his mom died,” he added.
The NYPD also downplayed the seriousness of the event with a statement that said they merely “assisted” the private security team protecting the pair.
“There were numerous photographers that made their transport challenging,” the department admitted.
“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived at their destination and there were no reported collisions, summonses, injuries, or arrests in regard.”
Infamous Meghan Markle detractor, Piers Morgan, tweeted that “there was no 2-hour chase, their story is unraveling by the minute.”
Conservative podcast host and NYC resident, Megyn Kelly, said that the Sussexes’ statement was dramatized.
“I lived in Manhattan for 17 yrs & it is not possible to have a 2hr ‘car chase’ there,” she wrote.
“Too many street lights/stop signs, too much foot/car traffic & hundreds of places you could safely pull over to protect yourself.”