Harry and Meghan in ‘near catastrophic’ car chase

Prince Harry, Meghan and her mother were involved in a “near catastrophic car chase” involving paparazzi, a spokesperson for the couple has claimed.

The incident happened after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended an awards ceremony in New York on Tuesday.

In a statement, their spokesperson said the “relentless pursuit” lasted for more than two hours.

They added it resulted in “multiple near collisions”.

The BBC has not been able to independently verify the details.

In a statement, the New York Police Department (NYPD) confirmed an incident took place and said that numerous photographers “made their [Harry and Meghan’s] transport challenging”.

There are claims the chase involved half a dozen cars, with reckless driving including going through red lights, driving on the pavement, carrying out blocking moves, and reversing down a one-way street – as well as taking photographs while driving.

Details are emerging of what seem to have been chaotic scenes. The couple, plus Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland, tried to take shelter from the paparazzi by going to a Manhattan police station.

BBC News understands the pair were staying at a friend’s home, and did not return directly to avoid compromising their security.

There was then a plan to use a New York taxi, with a yellow cab flagged down and Harry, Meghan, Ms Ragland and a security officer getting inside.

But the vehicle and its occupants were spotted by photographers and they reverted to their own security vehicles.

Mr Singh said he never felt in danger during what he said was a 10-minute journey and would not “call it a chase”.

“They were quiet and seemed scared but it’s New York – it’s safe,” he said, adding he returned the passengers to the police station at the request of the security officer.

The couple use private security while in the US – but Harry is engaged in a legal battle in London over the use of Metropolitan Police protection while he and his family are in the UK. (BBC)