Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle had a close call on Tuesday night, when they were involved in a “near catastrophic car chase” with paparazzi photographers, a spokesperson for the prince said on Wednesday.
The couple and Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, were in a car leaving an awards ceremony in New York, where they had presented an honour to a young activist. As they were driving away, they noticed several cars following them at high speed, trying to get pictures of them.
The driver of their car had to swerve and brake several times to avoid a collision with the paparazzi vehicles, which were driving recklessly and endangering the lives of the royal family and other road users.
The spokesperson for Prince Harry said that the incident was “a terrifying ordeal” and that the couple were “shaken but unhurt”. He added that the prince was considering taking legal action against the photographers for harassment and invasion of privacy.
The spokesperson also said that the incident showed the need for stricter regulation of the media and respect for the privacy of public figures. He said that Prince Harry and Meghan had been subjected to “relentless and abusive” coverage by some sections of the press since they stepped back from their royal duties last year.
The couple moved to California with their son Archie and their newborn daughter Lilibet, where they have signed deals with Netflix and Spotify to produce content. They have also launched their own foundation, Archewell, which supports various causes such as mental health, racial justice and environmental protection.
The couple have also been vocal about their struggles with the media scrutiny and the impact it had on their mental health. In a recent interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan revealed that she had suicidal thoughts during her pregnancy with Archie and that she felt unsupported by the royal family.
Prince Harry also said that he felt “trapped” by his royal role and that he feared “history repeating itself”, referring to his mother Princess Diana, who died in a car crash in Paris in 1997 while being chased by paparazzi. He said that he wanted to protect his wife and children from the same fate.
