Prince Harry & Meghan Markle Chased By Paparazzi For 2 Hours

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were hounded by paparazzi on their way home from a gala on Tuesday, May 17th. According to TMZ, the chase went down after the couple, and Markle's mother Doria Ragland, got into an SUV followed by police. A spokesperson for Prince Harry and Markle said: "This relentless pursuit, lasting over 2 hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and 2 NYPD officers."

They added that the paparazzi were in a half-dozen blacked-out vehicles and claimed that they committed several traffic violations including driving on the sidewalk, running red lights, and driving the wrong way on a one-way street. Eventually, Harry and Meghan's SUV had to pull over and the three hopped into a New York taxi and shook off the paparazzi. Police also helped by driving in a different direction than their cab.

As you're presumably already thinking, this very circumstance is how Prince Harry's mother, Princess Diana, was killed in Paris in 1997.

Earlier in the night, the Duke of Sussex accompanied his wife to the 2023 Women of Vision Awards: Celebrating Generations of Progress & Power in New York City. The Duchess was one of the honorees at the Ms. Foundation for Women's gala and reunited with Gloria Steinem, who presented her with the award. Markle's mother also attended the event.

The outing marks the first time Prince Harry and Markle have made an official public appearance since the royal traveled back to the UK for his father's coronation ceremony on May 6th. In the weeks leading up to the coronation, it was revealed that Prince Harry would be in attendance without Markle so she could stay home with Prince Archie on his birthday. While Prince Harry attended the historic ceremony despite the tension between him and his family, he received a less-than-royal treatment. Harry sat well behind the working members of the royal family and left as soon as the ceremony was over to get back home in time for Prince Archie's fourth birthday celebrations.

Shortly after the coronation weekend, it was reported that King Charles raised his glass for a toast and wished his grandson Prince Archie a happy birthday "wherever he was" during a private family gathering at the palace.