Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, were involved in a car chase similar to the fatal crash that killed his mother, Princess Diana.
CNN reports that Harry was with Meghan, attending the Women of Vision Awards at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City. Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, was also with them. In a statement, a spokesperson for the royal couple claimed “highly aggressive paparazzi” pursued their car, causing a “near catastrophic car chase.”
“This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians, and two NYPD officers,” the statement said.
Princess Diana died in a car crash in 1997. For years, rumors spread that the crash was a result of a paparazzi, but it was never officially established.
The event honored Markle and activists, including LaTosha Brown, co-founder of the voting rights group Black Voters Matter, for their advocacy in the gender justice movement, Variety reports. At the event, Markle said, “You can be the visionary of your own life. There is still so much work to be done.”
The couple stepped away from their royal duties in January 2020 and moved to the U.S. to avoid media harassment. In an interview with former Late Late Show host James Corden,” Harry said the decision to move was made to protect his family’s mental health. “This is toxic,” he said, according to NBC News. “So I did what any husband and what any father would do — I need to get my family out of here.”
While both Prince Harry and Markle understand they are public figures that people find interesting, they said, “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,” the spokesperson said.
The awards ceremony was the first public event the couple attended since King Charles III’s coronation earlier this month, which Meghan did not attend.