PRINCE Harry and Meghan Markle’s New York car chase is “not really my priority”, the PM has said.
Rishi Sunak appeared to play down the claims that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s team said they had a “near catastrophic” incident in the US city.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry step out together in New York earlier this week
Route of the chase
The pair were followed by paparazzi after attending an awards ceremony with the duchess’s mother, Doria Ragland, a spokesperson for the couple said.
New York Police said there were no arrests, injuries or reported collisions but said “numerous photographers” had “made their transport difficult” on Tuesday evening.
However, protection experts blamed the couple’s private security team for causing unnecessary drama in New York on Tuesday night and said they’d driven on the wrong side of the road.
Speaking in Japan today ahead of G7 meetings, the Prime Minister said he was “not aware of a particular incident in question”.
Pressed if he has sympathy with a possible invasion of privacy or safety, Mr Sunak distanced himself from the overseas row.
He said: “I think just as all of us do, we want to make sure that we go about our day-to-day lives in safety and security.
“My job as Prime Minister is to ensure everyone feels safe in our country.
“That’s why we put 20,000 more police officers on the street. It’s why we’re giving them the powers to tackle things like knife crime.”
But told the incident under discussion happened in the US, Mr Sunak appeared to play the row down, saying: “Cars in New York are not really my priority or my responsibility.
“What is my priority and responsibility is people’s safety at home.”
On Wednesday a spokesman for Harry and Meghan said the pair and Meghan’s mother “were involved in a near catastrophic car chase at the hands of a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi”.
The spokesperson added: “This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers.”
But later, police sources disputed their claims of a “relentless” two-hour high-speed pursuit.
Cabbie Sukhcharn Singh, who picked up the Sussexes and Meghan’s mum Doria Ragland, said they “obviously didn’t grow up in New York”.
He added: “I think that’s all, you know, exaggerated. I don’t think I’d call it a chase.”
A photographer who witnessed the incident said the couple’s security team pulled dangerous manoeuvres and blocked streets trying to evade paparazzi.
The snapper, who asked not to be named, said: “They were heading east on 57th Street and came to a stop at a red light at 8th Avenue.
“It’s two lanes of traffic in each direction and they pulled out on to the opposite side of the road into oncoming traffic. But they got stuck in the middle of the road. It caused absolute chaos.”
It was Harry and Meghan’s first public appearance together since the duchess’s absence from the King’s coronation earlier this month.
The couple were in the Big Apple for a Ms Foundation gala where Meghan was presented with the 2023 Women of Vision Award.
Rishi Sunak distanced himself from the car chase row
