Global Courant 2023-05-19 17:17:53
It’s safe to say that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Sussexes have had a week of highs and lows. From lawsuits to a glittering award show to a “near catastrophic” car chase, the Duke and Duchess have been through the mill — and then some.
It all started early this week when a man was found outside Harry and Meghan’s home in Santa Barbara County, California, in the early hours of Monday morning. The 29-year-old was arrested after being found ‘lurking’ outside the mansion in Montecito around 2 a.m.
It’s not the first time a would-be intruder has been caught at Harry and Meghan’s Montecito home. In December 2020, a man drove all the way from Ohio to California arrested for entering the premises, but was given a warning, only to return days later and do the same thing all over again. Security around their property is believed to have been strengthened following the incident.
THE CAR CHASE
Then, on Tuesday night, the Sussexes, accompanied by Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland, were in New York at the Ms. Foundation for Women Awards, where she received the Women of Vision award for her lifelong advocacy for women and girls. It was the Sussexes’ first public appearance after the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla and they certainly looked radiant, with Meghan opting for a gorgeous shimmering gold gown by Colombian designer Johanna Ortiz.
However, when leaving the awards, things quickly turned sour. The trio stepped outside around 8 p.m. to a barrage of flash photography and the situation escalated into what they say culminated in a near catastrophic chase. A statement from their spokesman said: “Last night the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Mrs Ragland were involved in a near catastrophic chase at the hands of a group of very aggressive paparazzi. This relentless chase, which lasted more than two hours, resulted in several near- collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers.While being a public figure comes with a degree of public interest, it should never come at the expense of one’s safety. , given the way they were obtained, encourages a very intrusive practice that is dangerous for all involved.”
Two people involved in the couple’s security also described the incident as chaotic, with the paparazzi in numerous vehicles, including cars, scooters, mopeds and electric bicycles.
The Sussexes and Ragland had to transfer to a yellow cab after stopping at the New York Police Department’s (NYPD) 19th Police Station. It is thought that they were trying to evade the paparazzi and prevent them from finding out where they were staying on the Upper East Side. What followed was a cat-and-mouse game, with the family and their security detail crossing the city on 57th Street and Franklin D Roosevelt Drive to try to shake off the photographers.
The NYPD released their own statement confirming there was an incident involving the Sussexes and the paparazzi, but downplayed it somewhat. Julian Phillips, the NYPD’s deputy commissioner for public information, said police on Tuesday night were “assisting the private security team protecting the Duke and Duchess of Sussex” and “there were numerous photographers making their transportation difficult. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived at their destination and there were no reports of any clashes, subpoenas, injuries or arrests related to.
According to CNN, a local law enforcement source confirmed part of their account said the pair were followed by a “swarm” of paparazzi in cars, motorcycles and scooters after they left the event on Tuesday. “
A protective team from the New York Police Department (NYPD) followed Harry and Meghan in another car and had to perform some evasive maneuvers to get away from the paparazzi. Paparazzi on scooters and bicycles whizzed down the sidewalk to keep up,” the source said. “There were many close calls, including brief stops between the front and rear of cars, but none resulted in a crash,” the source added.
What is clear is that what happened in New York on Tuesday night was both triggering and frightening for Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and Doria Ragland. Given that Harry’s mother Diana, Princess of Wales died in 1997 while being pursued by paparazzi in Paris, Harry has said he fears history is repeating itself. After the incident, he is said to have said this is the closest thing to what it was like the night his mother died.
THE COURT FIGHTS
This incident came just hours after Prince Harry was told Britain’s Metropolitan Police were not for hire and that paying to protect him and his family would set a dangerous precedent. Prince Harry is currently in a legal battle with the British government to pay the police to protect himself and his family, after his security was withdrawn when he stepped down as a working royal in 2020. police protection would create a situation where “wealthy individuals could ‘buy’ protective security from specialist police officers,” according to the UK Home Office.
Prince Harry also has four pending cases against British tabloids, including Mirror Group Newspapers and Associated Newspapers Limited. There is no doubt that this pursuit by the paparazzi will further encourage him in his life’s work of holding newspaper groups accountable for bad practices.
At the end of this rollercoaster week for the Sussexes, and at the time of writing, there has been no statement yet from Buckingham Palace or Kensington Palace about the New York incident. Harry and Meghan will spend the end of the week celebrating their fifth wedding anniversary, their lives now a world away from the joyous scenes the world saw five years ago at Windsor Castle.
So what next for the Sussexes? Their request for the photos and videos obtained during the chase rejected by the paparazzi for the Backgrid agency. The agency’s lawyers dismissed the Sussexes, saying they can’t just make demands in America “the way Kings can.” “In America, as you no doubt know, property belongs to its owner. Third parties can’t just demand it be given to them, as maybe Kings can do,” Backgrid said.
“Perhaps you should sit down with your client and tell them that his English rules of royal prerogative to require the citizens to hand over their property to the Crown were long ago rejected by this country. We stand by our founding fathers,” they added.
But we also saw Prince Harry film the incident – so will he release the footage? Prince Harry will also be back in court in the UK in June as part of the case against the Mirror Group Newspaper. Whatever happens next, Harry and Meghan are still trending online and, of course, continue to be divisive as ever.
