Harry and Meghan ‘paparazzi chase’: What have folks stated up to now?

It has been a whirlwind of conflicting experiences since Harry and Meghan’s spokesperson claimed the couple have been concerned in a “near catastrophic” automotive chase with “highly aggressive paparazzi” in New York.

Since the assertion, police, photographers and even the taxi driver – who was thrust into the center of a media storm when he picked up the couple in his yellow cab – have had their say.

Here Sky News breaks down what has been stated up to now…

Harry and Meghan’s spokesperson

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s spokesperson launched a press release on Wednesday, saying they’d been concerned in a “near catastrophic” automotive chase that was brought on by “highly aggressive paparazzi” on Tuesday night.

The incident befell as Harry and Meghan, and her mom Doria Ragland, left the Ms Foundation for Women’s annual gala on the Ziegfeld Ballroom, the place Meghan picked up an award.

The couple’s spokesperson stated the “relentless pursuit” lasted greater than two hours and “resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD (New York Police Department) officers”.

Press secretary for the Sussexes, Ashley Hansen, later completely instructed Sky’s Mark Stone: “I have never experienced their vulnerability as much as I did last night. They were incredibly scared and shaken up.”

Police in New York

According to police, one NYPD automobile escorted their automotive throughout 57th Street and different streets for round one hour and quarter-hour, in a bid to lose pursuers.

The Sussexes and Ms Ragland have been pushed to the NYPD’s nineteenth precinct constructing and stayed there for round quarter-hour.

The couple then acquired into a special automotive and acquired to their residence with out being adopted. But police appeared to downplay the severity of the “car chase”, which they described as “a bit chaotic”.

Julian Phillips, the deputy commissioner of the New York Police Department, stated: “There were numerous photographers that made their transport challenging.

“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived at their vacation spot and there have been no reported collisions, summonses, accidents, or arrests.”

A former NYPD officer who now provides security to celebrities told Sky News that he thought the Duchess of Sussex “could have been auditioning for a Fast and Furious film with the outline her and the folks round her have been giving to this dramatic, life threatening automotive chase”.

Read extra:
What Harry has stated about paparazzi earlier than
‘Impossible to not be reminded of Diana’
Video of couple earlier than ‘automotive chase’

“In New York City we’ve got great site visitors. Now that is to not say they did not try to take evasive manoeuvres however a two hour automotive chase in Manhattan? It simply wasn’t occurring,” security expert Bill Stanton said.

Mr Stanton also pointed the finger at their private security, saying: “They ought to have been well-versed in whether or not it was excessive profile or low profile.”

“If you are going to depart in a excessive profile method, you are going to get aggressive paparazzi, a whole lot of photos.

“If they told me ‘we want to leave in a low profile manner’, we’re not going through the front door, we’re not wearing our clothes that cost more than most people’s homes.

“[We’re] going to place a baseball cap on and sun shades, we will exit the again door and get right into a nondescript automotive,” he said.

“These are tips of the commerce that I’ve finished with royalty, VIPs and celebrities previously.

“In Manhattan, there are many celebrities that travel in trains and the bus and they go unnoticed every day.”

New York’s Mayor

New York’s Mayor Eric Adams stated: “The press or paparazzi, you know, they want to get the right shot, they want to get the right story.

“But public security should all the time be on the forefront. In a briefing I acquired [I heard] two of our officers might have been injured… I do not suppose there’s many people who do not recall how [Harry’s] mum died.

Mr Adams added he believes the behaviour of these following the Sussexes was “reckless and irresponsible”.

Taxi driver who picked up the Sussexes

Sukhcharn Singh, a taxi driver who picked up the Sussexes outdoors the nineteenth precinct, instructed The Washington Post: “I don’t think I would call it a chase.”

He stated he picked up the couple and Ms Ragland at 11pm and so they have been in his automotive for round 10 minutes.

“I never felt like I was in danger,” Mr Singh stated. “It wasn’t like a automotive chase in a film. They have been quiet and appeared scared however it’s New York – it is secure.”

Mr Singh stated he acquired the impression from the Sussexes that they’d already been pursued by paparazzi earlier than they acquired in his automotive.

Harry’s former bodyguard

The duke’s former bodyguard has stated his present safety crew lack expertise.

Ken Wharfe, who used to take Harry to high school when he was three-years-old, stated of his present crew: “There seems to be a lack of chemistry between them and Harry and Meghan.

“The departure from the lodge was chaotic earlier than they started their whacky drive by means of New York. Harry must be a part of the planning. He is aware of the risks higher than anybody.

“You [need] a relationship with the people you are protecting. Until that happens things like this will happen again.”

Mr Wharfe added: “There seemed to be no planning happening on that night. After two to three minutes you should put in place a contingency plan.

“To run round New York and hope the [paparazzi] will go away is silly.”

Eyewitness who said paparazzi were ‘aggressive’

Zara Sayeed saw the pair arrive and depart from the awards ceremony. She said: “The approach I noticed them [the paparazzi] observe the automotive – I wasn’t shocked by the headlines.

“As they [the Sussexes] were leaving, just the way they chased the car, it just reminds me of all the other scenes we have seen in the past with Prince Harry’s mother.

‘It was really upsetting. It was triggering for me – I can’t imagine how it must have felt for them.”

The response from the paparazzi

A paparazzi driver reportedly concerned within the incident admitted it was “very tense” making an attempt to maintain up with the couple – however blamed the “catastrophic experience” on the couple’s driver.

He instructed ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “They did a lot of blocking and there was a lot of different type of manoeuvres to stop what was happening.

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“Their driver was making it a catastrophic expertise… in the event that they have been going 80mph, I might in all probability have been going 20mph behind them and hoping to maintain sight of them,

“So if it was dangerous and catastrophic, it was more than likely based on the person that was driving.”

In different developments, a star information company that filmed Harry and Meghan up shut has additionally disputed their model of occasions – and claimed it was truly an SUV within the couple’s safety element that was driving recklessly.

An announcement from Backgrid stated it had acquired footage from 4 freelance photographers who had no intention of inflicting misery or hurt – and a number of other photos confirmed Meghan smiling contained in the taxi.