Harry and Meghan involved in 'near catastrophic' car chase while in New York, spokesman claims

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were involved in a ‘near catastrophic’ car chase while being followed by paparazzi in New York, the couple’s spokesperson said.

They were in the city on Tuesday with Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, for an event at which the duchess received an award.

The three of them are said to have been subjected to a ‘relentless pursuit’ involving half a dozen blacked out vehicles.

In a 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.

‘This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at the Ms Foundation Women of Vision Awards last night

‘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 in involved.’

The trio had been at the Ms Foundation for Women’s 50th anniversary gala event which honoured ‘game-changing’ grantee partners and visionary leaders committed to the organisation’s mission of ‘advancing collective power and creating safe, just and equitable futures for women, girls, and gender-expansive people’.

Meghan received the Ms Foundation’s Women of Vision Award, recognising her ‘global advocacy to empower and advocate on behalf of women and girls’.

It was Harry and Meghan’s first public appearance together since the duchess’s absence at the King’s coronation earlier this month.

Harry and Meghan are said to accept a heightened level of attention when they are at public events, and in this case they exited and entered the venue publicly, allowing photographers to get pictures.

In a statement, New York Police Department said: ‘On Tuesday evening, May 16, the NYPD assisted the private security team protecting the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

‘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.’

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said it is ‘reckless and irresponsible’ for anyone to chase people in vehicles in the densely populated city.

The mayor said he has not received a full briefing about the incident but expressed concern about reports mentioning ‘multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers’.

He said: ‘It’s clear that the press, the paparazzi, they want to get the right shot.

‘But public safety must always be at the forefront.’

Mayor Adams said even an incident lasting 10 minutes could have been ‘extremely dangerous’.

He added: ‘New York City is different from a small town somewhere. You shouldn’t be speeding anywhere but this is a densely populated city.’

Meghan arrives in a $1,850 strapless gold dress with scalloped pattern detailing

Meghan, 41, also posed for a solo shot before making her way inside the awards ceremony 

At the Ms Foundation for Women’s 50th anniversary gala event, Meghan Markle borrowed the Queen’s mantra by hailing ‘daily acts of service’ as she urged women to ‘be the visionary of your own life’ while accepting a feminist award at a New York gala – in a boost to her US relaunch.

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Addressing the event at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in Manhattan last night, the duchess told the crowd: ‘It’s just never too late to start. You can be the visionary of your own life. 

‘You can charter a path in which what you repeat in your daily acts of service, in kindness, in advocacy, in grace and in fairness, that those become the very things that are recognised by the next wave of women, both young and old, who will also choose this moment to join the movement and make our vision for an equitable world reality.’

The California-based couple were accompanied yesterday by Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland. And the duchess’s comments on service were notable given that her brother-in-law Prince William paid tribute to Charles’s ‘service’ during the Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle on May 7. 

William had said: ‘For all that celebrations are magnificent, at the heart of the pageantry is a simple message. Service. My father’s first words on entering Westminster Abbey yesterday were a pledge of service. It was a pledge to continue to serve.’

And on May 8, at the end of the bank holiday weekend, Charles issued a message insisting that he and Queen Camilla would ‘re-dedicate our lives to serving the people of the United Kingdom, the Realms and Commonwealth’. 

Queen Elizabeth II famously said on her 21st birthday in a 1947 speech broadcast from South Africa: ‘I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.’ 

Meghan’s words also recalled when she and Harry made a statement in February 2021 after Buckingham Palace confirmed they would step down as working royals, saying: ‘We can all live a life of service. Service is universal.’

The duchess’s relaunch – dubbed ‘Meghan 2.0’ – has already seen her speak about mental health with youngsters in Santa Barbara and dine with Hollywood stars including Cameron Diaz and Gwyneth Paltrow over the past week.

Prince Harry attends the event with Meghan and mother-in-law Doria Ragland and is seen following behind the two women

Meghan is honoured at the event by her friend Gloria Steinem, 89

Harry is seen beaming as he exits the evening’s event in New York, smiling happily as his security guards escort him

Meghan holds her award in her hand as she and Harry exit the Ziegfeld Ballroom

Harry joined Meghan at the ceremony – where tickets cost a whopping $1,500 and tables cost a minimum of $15,000 – to watch as she received the Women of Vision honour from Ms Steinem. 

Inside the event, Meghan took to the stage to accept her award, making her way up to the podium to the sounds of Alicia Keys’ hit song Girl on Fire.

Once on the stage, the duchess gave American journalist and activist Gloria Steinem a warm hug, before moving to address the crowd, thanking guests for giving her ‘such a warm welcome’ and describing Ms Steinem as her ‘friend’.

She also praised the 89-year-old ‘for the inspiration that you are, for your mentorship, your sage advice, your extraordinarily cheeky sense of humour and, of course, for your incredible friendship’. 

Meghan then offered her congratulations to the evening’s other honourees, praising them for the ‘important and meaningful work that you do’. 

‘While I was familiar with most of your work before tonight, nothing could compare to the focus, the determination, the energy I feel from each of you, especially as we all bear witness to you standing in the elegance and the power of your strength,’ she continued. 

‘And I remember them vividly because the pictures were different. There was a diversity that I hadn’t seen as often, both of colour and of age, and the names were different. 

‘There were congresswomen, there were astronauts, and the topics were different. From mothering to being a working mom to heavier topics such as domestic violence, the poverty line, unearthing its roots, where it comes from, and matters of equity.’

In common with other websites, MailOnline published agency pictures of Harry and Meghan for a few hours this morning.

The agency pictures were captioned as showing Harry and Meghan getting into a taxi after the event and were published on that basis. When it was discovered that the pictures were in fact taken some time later at a different location, they were removed.