The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have reportedly not been contacted by the royal family after saying they were involved in a 'near-catastophic' car chase.
Harry and Meghan were followed by paparazzi after attending an awards ceremony with the duchess' mother Doria Ragland in New York on Tuesday, according to the couple's spokesperson. While it was claimed they were involved in a 'relentless pursuit' involving half a dozen blacked-out vehicles, no member of the royal family has reached out to them, the PA news agency reports.
In an earlier statement on Wednesday, a spokesperson for Harry and Meghan said: “Last night, 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.
Read more: Join the FREE Manchester Evening News WhatsApp community
“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.
“Dissemination of these images, given the ways in which they were obtained, encourages a highly intrusive practice that is dangerous to all involved.”
A paparazzi driver reportedly involved in the high speed car chase of the Duke and Ducess of Sussex said that it was 'very tense' attempting to keep up with their vehicle.
Speaking anonymously to ITV’s Good Morning Britain on Thursday, the driver said: “Last night after leaving the theatre, there were hopes from me and a few other photographers that maybe they would go to a restaurant.
“For the most part, I was driving and it was very tense trying to keep up with the vehicles. They did a lot of blocking and there was a lot of different type of manoeuvres to stop what was happening.”
He claimed that Harry and Meghan’s driver made the pursuit “a catastrophic experience”.
“Their driver was making it a catastrophic experience… if they were going 80mph, I would probably have been going 20mph behind them and hoping to keep sight of them,” he said.
“So if it was dangerous and catastrophic, it was more than likely based on the person that was driving.”
The Duke of Sussex's former bodyguard criticised his security and said it should have been 'properly stage managed'. Speaking to GMB on Thursday, Ken Wharfe said: "The protection team he has got at the moment has never dealt with such a high-profile celebrity as Harry and Meghan.
“To them, I have some sympathy. The whole point is you have to take advice on this, and I don’t know to what extent the New York Police Department were involved, but basically it’s something that needs to be properly stage managed.
“I will make the point here from my own experience … the paparazzi, at best, can be talked to, but at worst they’re a nuisance. But they’re not out to cause the death of any one person. So, I think we have to be a little bit careful there.”
Read next:
- Pervert arrested at NURSERY where he worked as a cook after he was caught sending sick messages to 'girls'
- Two new Manchester restaurants up for gongs at prestigious national awards
- CCTV images show man wanted for 'performing sex act' in front of woman sat in car
- Moment masked robbers took young girls, 7 and 12, hostage with knives and threatened to “kill” boy before ransacking home
- Doer-upper house with 'huge potential' in one of Greater Manchester's most sought-after areas goes on market for just £160,000
