The Sussex "Near Catastrophic" Ride
After attending an award ceremony in Manhattan on Tuesday evening, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex - along with Meghan's mother, Doria - were involved in a "near catastrophic" journey...
The Facts
Meghan was being honored at an event on Tuesday evening - her mother, Doria, and her husband, Harry, joined her as her guests.
The event was held at 141 W 54th Street (Ziegfeld Ballroom)
At some point, the trio we dropped off at the NYPD 19th Precinct police station - about a 15-minute drive (1.4 miles) away from the event location
From the police station, they were driven via a Yellow Cab/taxi for 10 minutes
What The Sussexes Say
According to a statement released by The Sussexes, the journey was “near catastrophic” and lasted 2 hours. They said there were many near collisions with other vehicles and pedestrians and that 2 NYPD patrol cars were involved.
Their full statement reads as follows:
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. This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers," the spokesperson said in a statement. "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. Dissemination of these images, given the ways in which they were obtained, encourages a highly intrusive practice that is dangerous to all in involved.
What The NYPD Says
Since The Sussexes inadvertently involved the NYPD in this matter by pointing out that 2 patrol cars were involved, the NYPD has also released a statement that reads:
The NYPD assisted the private security team protecting the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. 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 paparazzi agency (BackGrid) and the taxi driver have ALSO given statements, with the paparazzi agency saying that the Sussexes’ security team was actually the party “driving erratically.”
For his part, the taxi driver - who drove the couple around for 10 minutes - said that there was never any danger, it was not a “chase” (although they were being followed), and everyone was safe.
There’s also VIDEO from the portion of the ride where they were in the taxi - there is clearly only 1 paparazzi present, and when Meghan and Harry’s security asks him to back up, he says “yes sir,” and does - in fact - back up. No one seemed aggressive. Meghan was sitting in the car smiling, Doria was looking at her phone.
Harry was not wearing a seatbelt and filming the entire thing. And, let’s never forget - his mother died in a car crash, being chased by paparazzi, and she wasn’t wearing her seatbelt. Oh, Harry.
Here’s What Doesn’t Add Up
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