Harry and Meghan ‘not contacted by royal family’ after car chase allegations

Harry and Meghan have apparently not been contacted by any members of the royal family following their ‘near-catastrophic’ car chase.

The couple and Meghan’s mum Doria Ragland said they were followed by paparazzi after attending an awards ceremony in New York on Tuesday evening.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s biographer, Omid Scobie, claimed neither King Charles or Prince William had contacted Harry following the incident.

‘It’s impossible not to think of Princess Diana when we hear about car accidents and this kind of aggressive paparazzi chase,’ he told BBC Newsnight.

‘So I was really surprised to hear… that not one member of the royal family, including King Charles and Prince William – who obviously [were] heavily affected by Princess Diana’s death – has reached out to Prince Harry, hours after the news had broken.’

Having left the ceremony at around 10pm, they were chased by a ‘gang’ of around six paparazzi vehicles.

It is claimed the three of them were subjected to a ‘relentless pursuit’ which lasted two hours through the streets of New York.

They were forced to take refuge in police stations as they struggled to shake off photographers, they say.

Members of the royal family have not yet reached out to Harry and Meghan, it is claimed (Picture: Getty Images)

At one point they left a police station in a taxi, which they hoped would act as a decoy, but it did not work and photos were taken of them, it is claimed.

They made it back to a private residence at 12.30am after waiting it out at another police station, it is understood.

The three of them were staying at a private residence and did not want to compromise the security of their friend’s home.

An initial statement from 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 New York Police Department (NYPD) officers.

‘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 involved.’

Prince Harry’s former bodyguard hit out and said police should have ‘properly stage managed’ the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s security.

The couple believe the incident could have been fatal, as they say it involved six blacked-out vehicles with unidentified people driving recklessly and endangering other people around them.

Shortly after the release of the statement, a source said Harry, Meghan and Doria were ‘understandably shaken but thankful everyone’s safe’.

It is claimed neither Charles or William have been in contact since the incident (Picture: Getty Images)

NYPD said ‘numerous’ photographers followed the couple and described the journey as ‘challenging’.

An NYPD spokesperson said: ‘On Wednesday 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 Mayor Eric Adams condemned the photographers for being ‘reckless and irresponsible’.

He said it would have been ‘horrific’ for Harry to have been involved in an accident similar to the one which killed his mum Diana in 1997.

Traffic violations which are believed to have occurred included driving on the pavement and through red lights, reversing down a one-way street, illegally blocking a moving vehicle and driving while photographing and while on the phone.

The three had attended an awards ceremony in New York on Tuesday (Picture: Getty Images/Backgrid)

It is also believed paparazzi were confronted by uniformed police multiple times, they continued the pursuit, and that there is footage taken from security along with other evidence to support these allegations.

But one of the photographers claims it was the couple’s driver who made the pursuit a ‘catastrophic experience’.

A taxi driver who claimed to have transported them for part of the journey told The Washington Post they were pursued by two cars – a black Honda Accord and a grey Honda CR-V.

Sukhcharn Singh told the BBC claims about the paparazzi chasing them were exaggerated and were not ‘aggressive’.

Mr Singh says he picked up the passengers on 67th Street between Lexington Avenue and 3rd Avenue.

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He said: ‘A security guard hailed me, next thing you know Prince Harry and his wife were hopping into my cab.

‘As we went a block, we got blocked by a garbage truck and all of a sudden paparazzi came and started taking pictures.

‘They were just about to give me the location of where they were going to go, but then they told me to circle back to the precinct.’

Metro has contacted Buckingham Palace for comment.

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The couple were followed by paparazzi after attending an awards ceremony.