Prince Harry and Meghan Markle involved in 'near catastrophic car chase' with paparazzi.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been involved in a "near catastrophic car chase" involving paparazzi in New York, a representative for the couple said. 

The couple and Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, were followed for more than two hours by half a dozen cars after attending the charity event, Ms Foundation Women of Vision Awards, on Tuesday night, according to the representative 

"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 representative said 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 (New York Police Department) officers."

Meghan and Harry were shaken by the incident but otherwise unharmed.

"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," the statement said.

"Dissemination of these images, given the ways in which they were obtained, encourages a highly intrusive practice that is dangerous to all involved."

The prince has long spoken out about his anger about press intrusion which he blames for the death of his mother Princess Diana, who was killed when her limousine crashed as it sped away from chasing paparazzi in Paris in 1997.

The couple's representative said the chase on Tuesday, after they left the Ziegfeld Ballroom in midtown Manhattan, could also have been fatal and involved paparazzi driving on the sidewalk, running red lights, and driving while taking pictures.

Those involved in the chase were confronted by police officers multiple times, according to the statement.

Exclusive: Member of Prince Harry and Meghan's security detail tells @MaxFosterCNN there were about a dozen vehicles pursuing the couple after last night's event in NYC.

"The public were in jeopardy at several points. It could have been fatal." pic.twitter.com/BqF3V0ZvWC

— CNN International PR (@cnnipr) May 17, 2023

The New York Police Department said it had assisted the private security team protecting the couple.

"There were numerous photographers that made their transport challenging. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived at their destination and there were no reported collisions, summonses, injuries or arrests in regard," the NYPD said.

Speaking to The Washington Post, taxi driver Sukhcharn Singh said he drove the group and a security guard for about 10 minutes before returning to the police station he had picked them up from at the security guard's request.

"I don't think I would call it a chase," Singh told the publication, adding that two vehicles had followed them and come next to the car, taking pictures and filming.

"I never felt like I was in danger. It wasn't like a car chase in a movie. They (the couple) were quiet and seemed scared but it's New York - it's safe."

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said he had received a briefing that two NYPD officers could have been injured in the incident.

"I don't think there's many of us who don't recall how, how his mum died," Adams told reporters.

"And it would be horrific to lose an innocent bystander during a chase like this and something to have happened to them as well."

He said he would be given an in-depth briefing later but that he found it hard to believe there would have been a two-hour high-speed chase.

"If it's 10 minutes, a 10-minute chase is extremely dangerous in New York City," Adams said.

The Ms Foundation for Women, the organisers of the awards ceremony where Meghan was honoured for her work, had no immediate comment.

Pictures that have since appeared on social media show Harry, Meghan and her mother sitting in the back of a New York taxi which their representative said showed "a small glimpse at the defence and decoys required to end the harassment".

Harry and Meghan stepped down from their royal roles in 2020 and moved to the United States, in part because of what they described as intense media harassment.

- With AAP. 

Feature Image: Kevin Mazur/Getty.