In a new statement, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's publicist denies the 'abhorrent' speculation that the pair exaggerated their New York City car chase in order to gain publicity.
- May 24, 2023
AceShowbiz - Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's team is shutting down rumors that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's New York City car chase is a PR stunt. In a new statement published on Tuesday, May 23, the couple's publicist Ashley Hansen called the speculation "abhorrent."
"Respectfully, considering the Duke's family history, one would have to think nothing of the couple or anybody associated with them to believe this was any sort of P.R. stunt," Ashley said, referring to the death of Harry's mother Princess Diana who was killed in a 1997 car crash. "Quite frankly, I think that's abhorrent."
On May 16, Meghan and Harry as well as Meghan's mom Doria Ragland were involved in a "near catastrophic" car chase with paparazzi after attending the Ms Foundation for Women's annual gala in New York. "This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD (New York Police Department) officers," Harry's representative said.
They added, "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 in involved."
NYPD additionally confirmed the incident, noting that "no arrests" have been made following the incident, nor was anyone at the scene injured. "Tuesday 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," the statement read.
However, their taxi driver claimed that the incident was exaggerated. "The security guard hailed me and next thing you know, Prince Harry and his wife were hopping into my cab," driver Sonny Singh told The Washington Post. "As we went up the 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, so we had to circle back to the precinct."
The 37-year-old went on recalling, "They were nice people, they looked nervous, I think they had been chased the whole day or something so they were nervous. But the security guard was on it. I don't think it is true [that it was near-catastrophic], I think that's all exaggerated so don't read too much into that. New York is the safest place to be, right? There are police stations and cops on every corner so there's nothing to be afraid of."
"The View" co-host Whoopi Goldberg also doubted the story. Meanwhile, "The Real Housewives of New York City" alum Bethenny Frankel slammed the royal couple, saying that the dramatic incident wouldn't happen if they stayed at a hotel instead of going to a friend's "really private" address on the Upper East Side.
