Prince Harry offers more insight into the two-hour ordeal that unfolded between the Sussexes and photographers in New York City this week.
Harry, Meghan Markle and the Duchess’ mother, Doria Ragland, walked out of the Ms. Foundation’s Women of Vision Awards gala on Tuesday night when, according to a spokesman for the couple, the group “was engaged in a near-disastrous chase” by a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi .”
“This relentless chase, which lasted over two hours, resulted in multiple near misses with other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers,” the spokesman, a representative of the Sussexes’ Archewell organization, said in a Wednesday with HuffPost shared statement.
according to a Thursday report in the Times of LondonHarry privately told friends that the experience was “the closest I’ve ever felt” to understanding what happened in the 1997 car accident that killed his mother, Princess Diana.
Harry has previously spoken about the parallels he sees between the press pressures his mother faced before her death and what Meghan has had to deal with over the years.
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“My biggest fear is that history will repeat itself,” he said in a 2019 statement. “I’ve seen what happens when someone I love is commodified to the point of being nothing more than real people.” person is treated or seen. I lost my mother and now I watch my wife fall victim to the same powerful forces.”
In the Sussexes’ bombshell 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Harry made similar comments about Diana and Meghan.
“What I saw was history repeating itself. Maybe even more dangerous because then you have race and social media,” the Duke said at the time, referring to his wife’s multiracial background.
Although different accounts After information about this week’s incident emerged, New York City police confirmed in a statement to HuffPost on Wednesday that they helped assist the royals after the gala and that there were “numerous photographers who requested their transportation to a challenge”.
In an interview with the New York TimesAn Archewell spokesman denied claims that the chase was staged for publicity purposes.
“With all due respect, given the Duke’s family history, you wouldn’t have to take credit for the couple or anyone associated with them to believe this was some sort of public relations stunt,” he said representative on Friday. “To be honest, I find that disgusting.”
