It has been a whirlwind of conflicting experiences since Harry and Meghan’s spokesperson claimed the couple have been concerned in a “near catastrophic” automobile chase with “highly aggressive paparazzi” in New York.
Since the assertion, police, photographers and even the taxi driver – who was thrust into the center of a media storm when he picked up the couple in his yellow cab – have had their say.
Here Sky News breaks down what has been mentioned up to now…
Harry and Meghan’s spokesperson
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s spokesperson launched an announcement on Wednesday, saying that they had been concerned in a “near catastrophic” automobile chase that was brought on by “highly aggressive paparazzi” on Tuesday night.
The incident occurred as Harry and Meghan, and her mom Doria Ragland, left the Ms Foundation for Women’s annual gala on the Ziegfeld Ballroom, the place Meghan picked up an award.
The couple’s spokesperson mentioned the “relentless pursuit” lasted greater than two hours and “resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD (New York Police Department) officers”.
Press secretary for the Sussexes, Ashley Hansen, later solely instructed Sky’s Mark Stone: “I have never experienced their vulnerability as much as I did last night. They were incredibly scared and shaken up.”
Meanwhile, Chris Sanchez, a member of the couple’s safety group, instructed CNN the incident was alarming.
“The public were in jeopardy at several points. It could have been fatal.”
Police in New York
According to police, one NYPD car escorted their automobile throughout 57th Street and different streets for round one hour and quarter-hour, in a bid to lose pursuers.
The Sussexes and Ms Ragland have been pushed to the NYPD’s nineteenth precinct constructing and stayed there for round quarter-hour.
The couple then received into a special automobile and received to their residence with out being adopted. But police appeared to downplay the severity of the “car chase”, which they described as “a bit chaotic”.
Julian Phillips, the deputy commissioner of the New York Police Department, mentioned: “There were numerous photographers that made their transport challenging.
“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived at their vacation spot and there have been no reported collisions, summonses, accidents, or arrests.”
A former NYPD officer who now provides security to celebrities told Sky News that he thought the Duchess of Sussex “could have been auditioning for a Fast and Furious film with the outline her and the individuals round her have been giving to this dramatic, life threatening automobile chase”.
Read more:
What Harry has said about paparazzi before
‘Impossible not to be reminded of Diana’
Video of couple before ‘car chase’
“In New York City we have now large visitors. Now that is to not say they did not attempt to take evasive manoeuvres however a two hour automobile chase in Manhattan? It simply wasn’t taking place,” security expert Bill Stanton said.
Mr Stanton also pointed the finger at their private security, saying: “They ought to have been well-versed in whether or not it was excessive profile or low profile.”
“If you are going to go away in a excessive profile method, you are going to get aggressive paparazzi, a number of footage.
“If they told me ‘we want to leave in a low profile manner’, we’re not going through the front door, we’re not wearing our clothes that cost more than most people’s homes.
“[We’re] going to place a baseball cap on and sun shades, we will exit the again door and get right into a nondescript automobile,” he said.
“These are methods of the commerce that I’ve completed with royalty, VIPs and celebrities up to now.
“In Manhattan, there are many celebrities that travel in trains and the bus and they go unnoticed every day.”
New York’s Mayor
New York’s Mayor Eric Adams mentioned: “The press or paparazzi, you know, they want to get the right shot, they want to get the right story.
“But public security should all the time be on the forefront. In a briefing I acquired [I heard] two of our officers might have been injured… I do not assume there’s many people who do not recall how [Harry’s] mum died.
Mr Adams added he believes the behaviour of these following the Sussexes was “reckless and irresponsible”.
Taxi driver who picked up the Sussexes
Sukhcharn Singh, a taxi driver who picked up the Sussexes exterior the nineteenth precinct, instructed The Washington Post: “I don’t think I would call it a chase.”
He mentioned he picked up the couple and Ms Ragland at 11pm they usually have been in his automobile for round 10 minutes.
“I never felt like I was in danger,” Mr Singh mentioned. “It wasn’t like a car chase in a movie. They were quiet and seemed scared but it’s New York – it’s safe.”
Mr Singh mentioned he received the impression from the Sussexes that that they had already been pursued by paparazzi earlier than they received in his automobile.
Harry’s former bodyguard
The duke’s former bodyguard has mentioned his present safety group lack expertise.
Ken Wharfe, who used to take Harry to highschool when he was three-years-old, mentioned of his present group: “There seems to be a lack of chemistry between them and Harry and Meghan.
“The departure from the lodge was chaotic earlier than they started their whacky drive by means of New York. Harry must be a part of the planning. He is aware of the hazards higher than anybody.
“You [need] a relationship with the people you are protecting. Until that happens things like this will happen again.”
Mr Wharfe added: “There seemed to be no planning happening on that night. After two to three minutes you should put in place a contingency plan.
“To run round New York and hope the [paparazzi] will go away is silly.”
Eyewitness who said paparazzi were ‘aggressive’
Zara Sayeed saw the pair arrive and depart from the awards ceremony. She said: “The means I noticed them [the paparazzi] comply with the automobile – I wasn’t shocked by the headlines.
“As they [the Sussexes] were leaving, just the way they chased the car, it just reminds me of all the other scenes we have seen in the past with Prince Harry’s mother.
‘It was really upsetting. It was triggering for me – I can’t imagine how it must have felt for them.”
The response from the paparazzi
A paparazzi driver reportedly concerned within the incident admitted it was “very tense” trying to maintain up with the couple – however blamed the “catastrophic experience” on the couple’s driver.
He instructed ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “They did a lot of blocking and there was a lot of different type of manoeuvres to stop what was happening.
Click to subscribe to the Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcasts
“Their driver was making it a catastrophic expertise… in the event that they have been going 80mph, I might in all probability have been going 20mph behind them and hoping to maintain sight of them,
“So if it was dangerous and catastrophic, it was more than likely based on the person that was driving.”
In different developments, a star information company that filmed Harry and Meghan up shut has additionally disputed their model of occasions – and claimed it was truly an SUV within the couple’s safety element that was driving recklessly.
An announcement from Backgrid mentioned it had acquired footage from 4 freelance photographers who had no intention of inflicting misery or hurt – and several other footage confirmed Meghan smiling contained in the taxi.
Source: information.sky.com”