As Prince Harry continues to fight for his family’s safety when they visit the UK, he faced a new security threat in the US.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were involved in a “near catastrophic car chase” after the Ms. Foundation Woman of Vision Awards in New York on Tuesday.
Photographers allegedly pursued Meghan Markle, her husband, and her mother, Doria Ragland, for “over two hours,” resulting in “multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road,” according to a spokesperson for the royal couple.
While Harry’s relationship with his family got worse in recent years and the pursuit did not take place on British soil, royal expert Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News Digital that Prince Harry’s father, King Charles III, would be upset that his son could have been seriously harmed.
“I feel that King Charles would be extremely concerned with these incidents and could make him review the police and security protection,” Turner said.
According to a spokesperson for Prince Harry and Meghan, the couple was involved in a car chase “at the hands of a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi.”
“This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers,” 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.”
Markle and Harry gave up their senior positions in the royal family in 2020, and they later moved to California to raise their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
When their titles changed, so did their taxpayer-funded security detail, and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have had to rely on their own private security.
“If they had wanted a quiet life, when they were genuinely concerned about their privacy and their safety, and they were in Canada, I thought to myself at the time – they were living their values, they wanted peace and to be with family,” royal expert Hilary Fordwich said. “Now, if you move to LA, you hire three PR firms, you take contracts from the likes of Netflix, and go to New York City to accept an award … It’s risk-taking. It’s risky.”
Fordwich 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.”