Harry and Meghan latest news: Sussexes mocked by paparazzi as agency refuses to share car chase pictures

A photo agency that photographed Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle in a car chase has mocked the royal couple and refused to release the footage.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who described Tuesday night’s alleged paparazzi chase in New York City as “nearly catastrophic,” demanded that California-based agency Backgrid release the images and videos taken during the encounter.

“We hereby request that Backgrid [photo agency] Provide us with copies of any photographs, video and/or film taken by the freelance photographers last night after the couple left the event, immediately and in the next few hours,” read a letter from her attorneys.

However, the agency’s lawyers snubbed the royal couple, saying they couldn’t just make demands in America “like royalty can do.”

“As I’m sure you know, property in America belongs to the owner: third parties cannot simply demand that it be handed over to them, as Kings might be able to do,” Backgrid’s legal team replied.

“Perhaps you should sit down with your client and inform him that his English rules of royal prerogatives, which require the citizenry to surrender their property to the Crown, were long ago rejected by this country. We stand by our founding fathers.”

A photo agency involved in an alleged car chase involving the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in New York City has reportedly refused to release pictures of the couple.

Backgrid refused a request by the Sussexes to release photos taken during what the two described as a “near-disastrous” chase on Tuesday night, saying the Americans “long ago rejected royal prerogatives,” according to the BBC .

The letter, which the celebrity photo agency says it received on Thursday from the couple’s legal department, said: “We hereby request that Backgrid promptly provide us with copies of any photos, videos and/or films posted last night were taken by the freelance photographers after the couple left their event and over the next few hours.”

In a statement on Wednesday, a spokesman for Harry and Meghan said the couple and Meghan’s mother “were involved in a near-disastrous chase by a group of extremely aggressive paparazzi.”

He added, “This relentless chase, which lasted over two hours, resulted in multiple near misses with other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers.”

The Duke and Duchess were present at the Ms Foundation For Women 50th Anniversary Gala.

It was Harry and Meghan’s first public appearance together since the Duchess missed the King’s coronation on May 6.

Paparazzi denied there were near misses, while the NYPD said “numerous photographers” made the couple’s trip “challenging” but there were “no reported clashes, subpoenas, injuries or arrests.”

During an interview with the BBC at the G7 summit in Japan, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak appeared to dismiss the incident, saying: “Cars in New York are not really my priority or my responsibility.”

“My priority and responsibility is keeping people safe at home.”

More information could emerge in the coming days, but so far the Duke and Duchess have faced criticism from the haters, of which there is no shortage, he writes Sean O’Grady.

The latest chapter in the drama surrounding the tabloid media’s treatment of Prince Harry and Meghan has been fraught with excitement.

But what exactly happened on Tuesday night in New York, as the royals left a gala event and were followed by a group of photographers, wasn’t entirely clear. It was clear that the prosecution was likely only increasing Harry’s anger at the media and his greatest fear that his wife might suffer the same fate as his mother, Princess Diana, who died in a car accident while being pursued by paparazzi would strengthen.

The couple’s reps claimed they were followed by paparazzi through the streets of Manhattan in a “near-disastrous chase.” Police said the pursuit was relatively brief, resulted in no injuries, clashes or arrests and warranted no further investigation. And a photo agency later claimed it was Harry and Meghan’s security guards who acted recklessly.

The Duke of Sussex’s former bodyguard said his current security team lacked experience after a “near-disastrous car chase” broke out in New York.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, were followed by paparazzi after attending an awards ceremony with the Duchess’ mother, Doria Ragland, on Tuesday, the couple’s spokesman said.

Ken Wharfe, who took Harry to school when he was three, said his current security service was “unaware of what the dilemmas appear to be”.

The former bodyguard told the PA news agency: “There seems to be a lack of chemistry between you and Harry and Meghan.”

“The hotel departure was chaotic before they began their crazy ride around New York.

“Harry has to be part of the planning. He knows the dangers better than anyone.

“You (need) a relationship with the people you protect. Until that happens, things like this will happen again.”

It is said that those involved in the incident were confronted several times by uniformed police officers, but the pursuit continued.

It is also said that there is security footage and other evidence to support the allegations.

Mr Wharfe added: “There seemed to be no planning that night.

The journalist Omid Scobie has King Charles III. and the Prince of Wales singled out after it appeared that “not a single member” of the royal family had contacted the Duke and Duchess of Sussex after their “near-disastrous” chase.

Scobie, who has written biographies of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, told the BBC news night that the royal family’s reaction to the incident was “disappointing” for the couple.

According to the royal couple, photographers were followed in half a dozen vehicles with blacked-out windows, on scooters and bicycles after they left the Women of Vision Awards at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in Manhattan on May 16, their official spokesman said the following day.

However, in the hours following the spokesman’s testimony, several different reports surfaced, suggesting that the incident may not have been as dramatic as initially portrayed.

Photos of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle taken the night they were being stalked by paparazzi in New York briefly surfaced on British tabloid websites before being released amid reports that the pursuit resulted in “near clashes”. have been removed.

The spokesman said the pursuit was “near-disastrous” and involved “other drivers … pedestrians and two NYPD officers.”

Rishi Sunak, who is in Hiroshima for the G7 meeting, said he was “not aware of any specific incident” but said he was more focused on road safety in the UK and New York City.

Britain’s Prime Minister said “cars in New York are not really my priority” after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s team said they avoided a “near-disastrous car chase” in the US city.

Asked if he understood a potential breach of privacy or security, Mr Sunak said: “I think just like all of us, we want to make sure we go about our daily lives in a safe and secure way.”

“My job as Prime Minister is to make sure everyone in our country feels safe. That’s why we sent 20,000 more police officers onto the streets. So we give them the power to fight things like knife crime.”

However, Mr Sunak said that the incident discussed occurred in the United States: “Cars in New York are not really my priority or my responsibility.”

“My priority and responsibility is keeping people safe at home.”