A longtime critic of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle has proposed a ‘near catastrophic, two-hour car chase’ through New York require; the pair would not have happened in the UK.
Following the event on Tuesday night, which according to a spokesperson for the royal duo, saw them grimly pursued by paparazzi, journalist Dan Wootton said the pair would have had better defence in Britain.
“Of course, this sort of car pursuit would NEVER have occurred in the UK, where long-term and respectful accord between the media and the Royal Family protected them.
“Also, ridiculous to resume driving in a ‘relentless pursuit’ follow in ‘multiple near crashes’ for TWO HOURS. Surely, pull over and delay for help from the police?”
The controversial columnist also retweeted posts from people questioning whether a two-hour car chase could occur in New York City.
“I reside in Manhattan for 17 years, and having a two-hour ‘car chase’ is impossible. Too many street lights/stop signs, too much foot/car traffic and hundreds of places you could safely pull over to save yourself,” journalist Megyn Kelly tweeted and was reposted by Wootton.
According to a statement from the couple’s speaker, the couple and Markle’s mother, Doria Ragland, were accompanied
by paparazzi, after they are sinistral and give a pomp in New York.
“rearmost night, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Ms Ragland were implicated in a near catastrophic car pursue at the hands of a ring of highly hostile paparazzi,” the statement said.
The incident happened behind the Duke and Duchess of Sussex attending a Tuesday give ceremony in New York.
In a statement, their spokesperson said the “relentless pursuit” lasted more than two hours and was followed by “multiple near crashes”.
The New York Police Department (NYPD) said no stops or injuries exist.
BBC News has yet to be able to verify all the details independently. But accounts and information developed throughout the day on Wednesday.
The NYPD confirmed an incident involving Harry and Meghan and said numerous photographers “made their transport challenging”.
No injuries or arrests were announced, the police said. Buckingham Palace still needs to comment.
Entertainment picture agency Backgrid stated that it investigated several freelance photographers’ conduct but that their initial account of events varied from that of the Sussexes.
“The photographers have announced feeling that the couple was not in instant danger at any point,” it said.
It followed the claims the chase implicated half a dozen cars with reckless driving, counting going through red lights, driving on the pavement, carrying out blocking moves, and backing down a one-way street – as well as taking photographs while operating.
BBC News appreciated Harry and Meghan were staying at a friend’s home and did not remit directly to avoid compromising their security.
The couple and Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, attempt to take shelter from the photogs by going to a Manhattan police station.
There was then a plan to utilize a New York taxi, with a yellow cab flagged down and Harry, Meghan, Ms Ragland and a security officer getting inside.
But photographers spotted the vehicle and its occupants and reverted to their security vehicles.
Cab driver Sukhcharn Singh, who goes by the name Sonny, told BBC News he picked up the four passengers on 67th Street between Lexington Avenue and 3rd Avenue.
“A security guard hailed me; next thing you know, Prince Harry and his wife were jumping into my cab,” he said.
“As we moved a block, we got congested by a garbage van, and all of a sudden, paparazzi came and began proceeding with pictures. They were fair about giving me the location of where they would go, but then they told me to come back to the precinct.”
He said they were “nice people” who “glance nervously”.
He thought the assert of a “near catastrophic chase” might have been exaggerated, saying that he did not know the paparazzi were being “aggressive”.
“New York is the shield place to be – police stations, cops on every corner,” he said.
“[The paparazzi] were beyond us… they kept their distance.”
He added that the passengers paid $50 (£40) for the short journey. Mr Singh’s account relates to just 10 minutes of what the Sussexes’ spokesperson described as an ordeal lasting more than two hours.
The driver’s assessment contrasts Chris Sanchez, a member of the couple’s security particular, who told CNN the location was “very chaotic” and that photographers at one point congested the limousine carrying Harry and Meghan.
“The public was in jeopardy at several points,” he said. “It could have been fatal.”
The couple uses private security in the US – but Harry is busy in a legal battle in London over the use of Metropolitan Police defence while he and his family are in the UK.
