Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ‘shocked’ by their reaction to car chase

Celebrities

By Brooke Steinberg

May 24, 2023 | 9:50 am

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are ‘shocked’ by the response to their car chase requests, according to a new report.

“They insist that their story of the car chase was absolutely not exaggerated, and for people to say otherwise is so hurtful and out of place,” a source told Us Weekly exclusively.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have received a lot of backlash in response to their car chase allegations, but they’re not letting that stop them from talking about it.

“As far as staying out of sight and being afraid to show your face, that’s not going to happen,” the source told the outlet. “(It comes) from strengthening their resolve to keep standing up for themselves and speaking up when they feel wronged.”

The couple’s rep also shut down speculation that the crash had been exaggerated for publicity.

“Respectfully, given the history of the Duke’s family, one should not think of the couple or anyone associated with them to believe that this was some sort of public relations stunt,” the statement said. publicist Ashley Hansen to Page Six, referencing Princess Diana’s fatal car crash with paparazzi in 1997. “Quite frankly, I think it’s heinous.”

Harry and Meghan claimed they were involved in an ‘almost catastrophic’ two-hour paparazzi hunt in New York earlier this month as they returned from the Women of Vision Awards at the Ziegfeld Ballroom, where Meghan was honored by Gloria Steinem for her plea, with Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland.

“It started with 12 paparazzi and then ended with four chases (Meghan, Harry and Doria),” an insider told Page Six. “Their security did their best to lose (photographers).”

The incident has drawn many comparisons to the paparazzi car chase that led to the death of Princess Diana in a crash in a Paris tunnel.

Harry, who was 12 when his mother died, has expressed his feelings for the paparazzi and has previously said he mourned his mother “every time I see a camera, every time I hear a click, every time I see a flash.

An NYPD spokesman said the incident was under investigation – but said while the scene was choppy, overall it was under control.

“There were many photographers who made it difficult to transport them,” the NYPD said in a statement to the Post. “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have arrived at their destination and no collisions, summonses, injuries or arrests have been reported.”

A spokesperson for Meghan and Harry said in a statement that they were involved “in a near catastrophic car chase at the hands of a circle of very aggressive paparazzi”.

“This relentless chase, which lasted more than two hours, resulted in multiple near misses involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers,” the spokesperson said. “While being a public figure brings some public interest, it should never come at the expense of anyone’s safety.”

Photo agency Backgrid USA spoke about the incident, saying their photographers “had no intention of causing distress or harm, as their only tool was their camera.”

“At Backgrid USA Inc., we value transparency and ethics in journalism, which includes providing fair and factual responses to complaints,” the company said in a statement to ET. “We are aware of Prince Harry’s statement regarding an alleged ‘near-catastrophic car chase’ involving himself, Meghan Markle and her mother.”

Meanwhile, in an interview with The Post, taxi driver Sukhcharn ‘Sonny’ Singh, who eventually got the couple to their destination, said the incident was ‘pretty crazy’ but ‘not scary’ .

ET’s source also said Meghan and Harry were “scared. Certainly the memories and echoes of what happened to Harry’s mother were on the mind.”