Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were reportedly involved in a “near catastrophic car chase” in New York City Tuesday night involving paparazzi. A spokesperson for the couple confirmed that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who earlier in the evening attended the Ms. Foundation 2023 Women of Vision Awards: Celebrating Generations of Progress & Power, where Markle was honored as one of this year’s Woman of Vision Award honorees, were reportedly pursued for approximately two hours by “a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi.” Markle’s mother, Doria Ragland, also attended the event and was reportedly traveling with the couple at the time of the incident.
“Last night, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Ms. Ragland were involved in a near catastrophic car chase at the hands of a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi,” the spokesperson told CNN in a statement. “This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers.”
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Further information regarding the incident is unclear at this time. The couple’s spokesperson said Harry and Markle understand that 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.”
Harry and Markle stepped down as senior royals in 2020, with the pair frequently speaking out about the negative impact of the press on their lives. Harry has long spoken out about his anger about press intrusion, which he in part blames for the death of his mother, Princess Diana, who died in a car crash in 1997 as the limousine she was a passenger in sped away from chasing paparazzi in Paris.
The reported incident came just a day after police were called to the couple’s home in Montecito, California. The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to TMZ that security staff at the property called police after 29-year-old Kevin Garcia Valdovinos showed up at the home. Valdovinos “told security something that triggered this arrest, though the sheriff is not saying what that was.” When officers arrived at the scene after receiving a call at around 2 a.m. local time, Valdovinos was taken into police custody and booked for misdemeanor stalking. He was later released on $2,500 bail. The specific charge Valdovinos was booked on indicates he has done this before, though past offenses are unclear. It is unclear if Harry, Markle, or either of their two children, 4-year-old Prince Arhcie of Sussex and 1-year-old Princess Lilibet of Sussex, were home at the time of the incident.
