For Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, their move to the U.S. has seemed incredibly eventful so far. Of course, one might say that it had something to do with Prince Harry releasing his memoir, Spare, and the many shocking revelations he claims in the book. It may also have something to do with the royal couple recently catching the attention of the satirical animated comedy South Park.
But then again, it might just be because the Duke and Duchess of Sussex seem to pique people’s curiosity everywhere they go. Most recently, the royal couple was caught in a supposed incident with the paparazzi. And while their spokesperson has claimed that the incident also resulted in a reckless car chase, Prince Harry and Markle’s driver have since offered a different take on what happened.
The Incident Occurred After Prince Harry And Meghan Markle Attended An Awards Ceremony
The royal couple attended the 2023 Women of Vision Awards, which was held at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City. What made the event even more special for Prince Harry and Markle was that Markle herself was this year’s recipient of the Woman of Vision Award. Her mother, Doria Ragland, also graced the event with the couple.
The awards event made Markle one of its honorees following her work as a Global Ambassador for World Vision and a UNWomen’s Advocate for Women’s Political Participation and Leadership. The Ms. Foundation, which is behind the event, is co-founded by Gloria Steinem, a political activist who is also known to be one of Markle’s closest friends.
Following the awards ceremony, Prince Harry, Markle, and Ragland exited the venue where the couple reportedly looked seemingly happy to pose for photos. According to reports, even the royal couple’s rep, Ashley Hansen, remarked that the photos were among the “most beautiful” taken that evening.
After they left the event, however, a pursuit involving the paparazzi reportedly ensued with the couple and Ragland forced to ditch their SUV for a taxi. The couple’s rep would later claim that the ordeal lasted over two hours.
The Couple’s Taxi Driver Claims They Were Not In A Car Chase
Sukhcharn Singh, the taxi driver that drove Prince Harry, Markle, and Ragland for a portion of their trip, picked up his celebrity passengers outside the New York Police Department’s 19th Precinct at around 11 P.M. During an interview with The Washington Post, he recalled that a guard waved him down and asked if he wanted a fare. That’s when the royal couple and Ragland got in his cab, along with a security guard.
Once everyone was onboard, Singh proceeded to drive to Park Avenue before going south. During this time, he recalled being pursued by two cars: a gray Honda CR-V and a black Honda Accord. “They kept following us and were coming next to the car,” Singh said. “They took pictures as we stopped and were filming us.”
After some time, Singh recalled that the security guard with them started to become concerned about the photographers. Essentially, it was thought that continuing with the ride would be risky and that it would end up revealing the royal couple’s location more. Because of this, the security guard asked Singh to drive them back to their pickup point.
And while it was claimed that the encounter with the paparazzi lasted for about two hours, Singh estimates that the royal couple was only with him for around 10 minutes. The taxi driver also doesn’t think there was an actual pursuit from the surrounding photographers.
“I don’t think I would call it a chase,” Singh explained. “I never felt like I was in danger. It wasn’t like a car chase in a movie. They were quiet and seemed scared but it’s New York — it’s safe.”
A video obtained by TMZ from celebrity news agency Backgrid, which had freelance photographers on the scene, also seems to support Singh’s version of the events.
That said, he also noted that Prince Harry, Markle, and company had already been previously pursued by paparazzi even before they entered his taxi.
NYPD Also Seemingly Downplayed The Incident Involving Prince Harry And Meghan Markle
Following the incident, NYPD spokesman Julian Phillips did confirm that the department had provided assistance to the Duke and Duchess of Sussexes’ security team. And while he acknowledged that several photographers made the royal couple’s commute “challenging,” Phillips also maintained that “there were no reported collisions, summonses, injuries, or arrests.”
In addition, New York Mayor Eric Adams (D) also later revealed that he already received a briefing about the incident involving the Sussexes and that two New York City police officers could have been hurt as a result.
While the mayor appeared to be skeptical about the paparazzi car chase, he did refer to the incident as “a bit reckless and irresponsible.” Just like Singh, Adams also believes the entire ordeal also lasted just 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, it also appears that the royal couple will be bracing themselves for another encounter with the paparazzi as they may attend another awards ceremony in June.
Just a few months back, the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation announced Markle as the digital media national winner at its 48th Annual Gracie Awards for the duchess’ work on her Spotify podcast Archetypes.
Markle and fellow winners such as Tracee Ellis Ross, Vanessa Bayer, Christina Applegate, Amanda Seyfried, and Faith Hill are expected to join the Gracie Awards Luncheon on June 20. And just like the Women of Vision Awards, this luncheon is also set to take place in New York City.
