Harry and Meghan in ‘near catastrophic car chase’ with paparazzi in NYC

A wild two-hour paparazzi car chase of Britain’s Prince Harry, his wife Meghan and his mother-in-law through the heart of Manhattan nearly ended in a multi-vehicle crash, the royals said Wednesday.

The three climbed into a waiting SUV following the Ms. Foundation for Women gala at the Ziegfeld Ballroom on W. 54th St. before they were pursued Tuesday by multiple photographers in the crazed chase.

“This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near-collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers,” a spokesman for Prince Harry said Wednesday.

The chasing photographers, inside a half-dozen vehicles with blacked-out windows, were spotted driving on the sidewalks and running red lights during the hair-raising chase, according to TMZ.

One of the pursuit cars reportedly went the wrong way down a one-way street.

None of the royals were injured during the chase, with the prince’s pursuers described as “highly aggressive paparazzi” in the latest clash between Harry and the media.

Video on Twitter showed the royals leaving the event hand-in-hand amid flashes from multiple cameras before climbing into a waiting black SUV, with TMZ reporting the couple abandoned the vehicle and jumped into a yellow city cab to make their escape.

Reuters reported some of the photos posted on social media involved decoy cars meant to steer photographers elsewhere as the couple left.

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The prince currently has three ongoing lawsuits again British newspapers for hacking into his phone, including one where he was expected to testify next month.

It was not immediately clear what route the Tuesday pursuit took or if anyone was arrested or given a summons.

Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, was killed in a motor vehicle crash in 1997 after her limousine was chased by paparazzi in Paris. The prince has long blamed his mother’s death on paparazzi intrusion.

The Ms. Foundation was honoring Meghan with the “Women of Vision” award prior to the bizarre tailing incident. During her acceptance speech, she encouraged women to continue to fight for equity.

“It’s never too late to start,” Meghan said. “You can be the visionary of your own life… There is still so much work to be done.”

Harry and Meghan stepped down from their royal roles in 2020 and moved to the United States partly because of what they described as intense media harassment.

The royal couple reside in California with their two young children, and were staying in New York at private residence, their spokesperson said. They instead went to another location for the safety of their host, according to the spokesperson.

Harry was in the midst of a legal war with three British tabloids: The Mirror, The Sunday Mirror and The Sunday People. He was expected to testify next month in the case, making Harry the first member of royal family to do so since the 19th century.

Two days ago, a man was taken into custody by the famous couple’s security team near their property’s entrance on Monday around 2:30 a.m., TMZ reported.

Kevin Garcia Valdovinos, 29, was detained at the massive home in Montecito and taken into custody, according to a spokesperson for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.

He was later booked on misdemeanor stalking charges but he has since been released on $2,500 bail.

With News Wire Reports