Inside the drama of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s NYC paparazzi chase ordeal

Harry and Meghan’s supposed “near catastrophic” and “over two hour” paparazzi car chase wasn’t exactly the high-drama debacle that their reps made out, according to law enforcement sources, who said the couple was tailed for about an hour and had a police escort.

A high-ranking source reiterated the NYPD’s statement that cops had “no collision reports or 911 calls” related to the chase. Though other sources noted that two uniformed police were “nearly missed” by paparazzi as Harry, 38, and Meghan, 41, left the Ziegfeld Theater in Midtown around 9:50 p.m.

“We only had one car as part of this. [The chase] definitely wasn’t two hours,” the high-ranking source told The Post on Wednesday.

The couple – accompanied at the Women of Vision Awards by Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland – were traveling in a vehicle flanked by both a private security car and an NYPD vehicle, sources said.

The group wanted to return to the private Upper East Side residence where they were staying the night, but were apparently hindered by “significant” press presence that followed them from the venue, sources said.

They added that the group wanted to shake off the paparazzi to avoid revealing where they were staying in Manhattan. 

The small entourage spent about one hour driving in circles between FDR Drive and West 57th Street before stopping at the 19th Precinct on the Upper East Side, where they briefly huddled in a garage before jumping into a yellow cab.

Harry, Meghan, and Doria remained hidden long enough for police to block traffic, the source explained, and were able to arrive back at their accommodations without paparazzi following.

Speaking to The Post on Wednesday afternoon, cab driver Sukcharn “Sonny” Singh said the exiled royals were briefly in his cab before more photographers showed up and they decided to go back into the precinct. 

Singh confirmed that the decision to go back came over fears that the paparazzi would continue following them and reveal their location.

“They seemed like nice people but they didn’t really say anything,” he recalled.

“They didn’t seem that scared but they looked nervous.”

Singh said the six paparazzi seemed to “come out of nowhere” toward his cab.

“It wasn’t scary what happened when I had them in the cab but I don’t know what happened before with them,” he explained.

The couple’s security guard, he continued, “did more talking.”

“He seemed really hyper but I don’t think he was from New York,” Singh noted.

Chris Sanchez, a member of Harry and Meghan’s security detail, told CNN that he believed the paparazzi’s actions put the public in danger, claiming that “There were about a dozen vehicles, cars, scooters and bicycles” chasing them. 

“The public was in jeopardy at several points,” Sanchez said. “It could have been fatal. “I have never seen, experienced anything like this” 

The guard also claimed that at multiple points during the incident, the paparazzi was jumping curbs and passing red lights.

Writer and photographer Lieba Nesis, who witnessed what happened, told The Post the trio was “dodging paparazzi all night” at the high-profile event, where Meghan was honored by Gloria Steinem.

“They came through the back through the Hertz car rental store, so despite the barricades and police presence up front they dodged the paparazzi and headed through a secret entrance, so many [paparazzi] were left without pictures,” the witness said of their covert arrival.

Later, when Harry, Meghan, and Doria were getting back into their car, the witness said the photographers “were aggressive but not crazy.”

“When Meghan and Harry emerged…they had someone blocking their faces so despite the paparazzi waiting for more than four hours, none of them were able to get shots,” they explained.

On Wednesday morning, a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex alleged that the couple was involved in a dangerous pursuit at the hands of “highly aggressive paparazzi” who almost mowed down a police officer.

The California-based pair’s team even cautioned the public against accessing photos of the alleged chase, which they said promoted “a highly intrusive practice that is dangerous to all involved.”

An insider previously told Page Six that there were as many as 12 photogs hounding the group.

Due to the couple’s dramatic description of the incident clashing with what the NYPD and witnesses are saying, many were quick to criticize the exiled royals. 

Former Fox talk show host turned podcaster Megyn Kelly called their claims “bulls–t” and said it was impossible for a two hour car chase to happen in Manhattan.  

“Too many street lights/stop signs, too much foot/car traffic & hundreds of places you could safely pull over to protect yourself,” Kelly tweeted.  “Also if they really want to avoid the paparazzi perhaps the Duchess should stop using them so obviously when she wants to see herself in the paper.”

British journalist Piers Morgan also weighed in on the incident, tweeting: “There was no 2-hour chase, their story is unraveling by the minute.”

Caitlyn Jenner, who is no stranger to getting chased by paparazzi, also suggested that the chase went anywhere near as long as she slammed Harry and Meghan. 

“I have been party to paps following me in NY (definitely not 2 hrs and plenty of evidence – kind of the point since they have cameras), LA (even in a city with lots of driving and long distances between destinations, not 2 hours, and AGAIN LOTS OF EVIDENCE) it comes with the territory. Whine whine whine is all these 2 seem to do,” Jenner tweeted.  

The Sussexes’ fraught description of the evening immediately drew comparisons to Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, who died in a car crash partially attributed to paparazzi pursuit in 1997.

“I don’t think there’s many of us who don’t recall how his mom died,” Mayor Eric Adams said at a press conference on Wednesday, before branding those involved in the incident as “reckless and irresponsible.”

News of the Harry and Meghan’s nighttime press run-in also comes amid the prince’s ongoing legal battle over his security in the UK.

The Duke of Sussex’s private detail was revoked when he and Meghan decamped to California in 2020. He is now trying to secure the right to hire public police for his family’s protection when they visit his country.

Spokespersons for Buckingham Palace, as well as for Prince William and Princess Kate have declined to comment on the incident.

Omid Scobie, a British journalist who covers Meghan and Harry, said that as of Wednesday afternoon, no member of the royal family has reached out to the Sussexes since the story broke.

Per: NYP