Harry and Meghan: What we know so far about the New York paparazzi incident - BBC

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By Sam Cabral

BBC News, Washington

Prince Harry, Meghan and her mother Doria Ragland were involved in a "near catastrophic car chase" on Tuesday night, according to the couple's spokesperson.

New York police said "numerous photographers" made their return home from an awards ceremony "challenging".

Here is everything we know so far about the incident.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were attending an awards ceremony in New York City hosted by the Ms. Foundation for Women.

Meghan, 41, was among the 2023 Women of Vision Award honourees, for what it described as "her global advocacy to empower and advocate on behalf of women and girls".

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The event was at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in Manhattan, and began at 19:00 local time (00:00 BST). The ceremony lasted about three hours, after which the trio were seen leaving and getting into a black SUV at some time around 22:00.

According to the Sussexes' spokesperson, "a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi" followed them for "over two hours". They said the "relentless pursuit" resulted in "multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers".

It was alleged that those involved in the chase broke multiple road rules - including running a red light, driving on the pavement, driving while on the phone, driving while photographing and illegally blocking a moving vehicle.

It was also claimed that the presence of police did not stop the pursuit.

The BBC understands that Harry and Meghan, who are usually based in California, were staying at a friend's house while in the city, but did not want to compromise their security by returning there directly.

Law enforcement sources told CBS News, the BBC's US partner, their vehicle circled the venue for about an hour in an unsuccessful effort to shake off the paparazzi.

They then went to the New York police department's 19th precinct police station, where they switched vehicles in another attempt to get away, CBS says.

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The Sussexes' security guard flagged down a taxi, driven by Sukhcharn 'Sonny' Singh.

He told BBC News he had driven a block when his taxi "got blocked by a garbage truck and all of sudden paparazzi came and started taking pictures". He was then asked to drive them back to the police station.

Mr Singh said the pair "looked nervous" about what was happening, but the paparazzi were not being aggressive. Asked about the spokesperson's description of the chase, he said it was "exaggerated".

Entertainment picture agency Backgrid said it was investigating the conduct of four freelance photographers it said were involved in taking images of the Sussexes on Tuesday night.

However, the agency said the photographers disputed some aspects of the Sussexes' statement.

The agency said: "We understand that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's security detail had a job to do, and we respect their work.

"We do, however, want to point out that according to the photographers present, there were no near-collisions or near-crashes during this incident. The photographers have reported feeling that the couple was not in immediate danger at any point."

In a statement on Wednesday, New York police confirmed it had assisted the couple's private security team during their "challenging" return home.

"The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived at their destination and there were no reported collisions, summonses, injuries, or arrests in regard," it said.