Neil Sean on Harry and Meghan car chase: Hard to take claims ‘seriously’
U.K. royal reporter Neil Sean weighs in on reports that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were in a ‘near catastrophic’ paparazzi car chase in New York City.
U.K. Royals expert Neil Sean cast doubts on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s claim that they were involved in a "near catastrophic car chase" involving paparazzi in New York City, telling Fox News Wednesday that the couple has "proven to be liars."
"The difficulty is with Harry and Meghan, they've proven to be liars previously. We saw that with their Netflix series and the alleged paparazzi….so it's very hard to take any story really from them particularly seriously," Sean said on "The Story."
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry shared the look of love on the red carpet at the Ms. Foundation Women of Vision Awards ahead of the alleged paparazzi car chase. (Kevin Mazur)
A spokesperson for Prince Harry and Markle claimed earlier Wednesday that the couple was involved in a two-hour-long car chase involving paparazzi photographers on their way home from a charity event in New York Tuesday evening. The pursuit resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers, according to the spokesperson, who called the incident "near catastrophic."
PRINCE HARRY, MEGHAN MARKLE CHASE: NYPD REPORT MAY CONTRADICT CLAIMS OF ‘NEAR CATASTROPHIC' INCIDENT
With the help of police, the couple was eventually able to switch to a taxi cab and be whisked away, according to a law enforcement official who was not authorized to speak publicly about the matter and did so on condition of anonymity. No footage of the alleged car chase has been made available.
The NYPD told Fox News Digital that while 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 is looking through traffic camera footage and security footage to "piece together what transpired," a law enforcement source told Fox News Digital.
Gloria Steinem and Meghan Markle smile on the red carpet at Ms. Foundation event in New York. (Kevin Mazur)
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were in town to attend the Women of Vision Awards in Manhattan, where Markle was given the 2023 Women of Vision Award by Gloria Steinem.
The event was part of the couple's "big comeback night" as they return to the public eye, Sean said, speculating whether they could have exaggerated the car chase incident to garner media coverage after the event got little traction in the press.
"I think really what's more important, and one wouldn't wish any negativity on anybody - and what I mean by that is any accident or any problem like that, you wouldn't wish that," Sean said. "But the biggest issue really, over here as we now know. Prince Harry is battling for the right for royal protection back here in the U.K. This falls on one of their big comeback nights. Nobody was interested in the award. The dress got very little traction and one might say this kind of plays into their narrative."
"They've now decided to come back on the world's platform…this puts some slap bang, they think, back on the front pages," Sean added.
MAYOR ERIC ADAMS RESPONDS TO PRINCE HARRY, MEGHAN MARKLE CAR CHASE
. New York City Mayor Eric Adams addressed the incident briefly on Wednesday, stressing the consideration of "public safety" among paparazzi. (Luiz C. Ribeiro for NY Daily News via Getty Images)
New York City Mayor Eric Adams addressed the incident briefly on Wednesday, stressing the consideration of "public safety" among paparazzi while describing their conduct as "a bit reckless and irresponsible."
However, Adams said that while he was still being briefed on the incident, he is skeptical about the duration of the chase.
"I would find it hard to believe there was a two-hour high-speed chase," he told reporters, adding that even if it was a 10-minute chase, it would still be "extremely dangerous in New York City."
Sean expressed a similar sentiment.
"I find it very, very hard to believe. as your mayor said, that this could have gone on for two hours. Where's the proof of that? he asked. "So I think until we see more evidence, we would have to say that once again we're living in Harry and Meghan's world and being asked to believe something until proven, is very hard to believe."
He added, "Harry and Meghan would have been no doubt filming some of this, wouldn't they? So really just take their phones and have a look about, let's see if it lasted for two hours."
Meghan Markle was all smiles as she arrived to Women of Vision awards in New York with Prince Harry. (Raymond Hall)
Adams and others instantly drew comparisons between the incident to the 1997 fatal car crash of Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, a comparison that Sean characterized as "churlish and very crass."
"I think just let the evidence speak for itself, if we ever get any." he said
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The taxi driver who picked up the couple told the Washington Post that they were followed by two cars with photographers who took pictures and were filming them, but that claims that it was a "chase" might be hyperbolic.
"I don't think I would call it a chase. I never felt like I was in danger," Sukhcharn Singh told the outlet. "It wasn't like a car chase in a movie. They were quiet and seemed scared, but it's New York. It's safe."
Fox News' Lauryn Overhultz and Haley Chi-Sing contributed to this report.