Prince Harry and Meghan Markle aren’t happy with the public reception of their paparazzi car chase! And that’s an understatement!
Obviously the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been pelted with criticism for their characterization of an incident in NYC last week. As Perezcious readers know, Harry, Meghan, and the Suits alum’s mom Doria Ragland were trailed by a “ring of highly aggressive” paps after leaving the 2023 Women of Vision Awards in the Big Apple. In their statement, they referred to a two-hour car chase they called “near catastrophic.” Celebs, pundits, and social media users around the world have strongly suggested they were being wildly overdramatic about the paparazzi following them. It didn’t help their case when the NYPD pointed out “there were no reported collisions, summonses, injuries or arrests in regard” to the situation.
Surprisingly, we’re now hearing, they didn’t see these reactions coming! An Us Weekly source on Wednesday described the couple as being “shocked” by the reaction to the ordeal, they said:
“They insist their account of the car chase was absolutely not exaggerated, and for people to say otherwise is so hurtful and out of line.”
The couple has been fighting to get all the footage from the chase to prove their side of the story, but so far they have not had any luck. Meanwhile, a handful of witnesses — including the taxi driver who briefly helped them try to escape cameramen — have argued the chase wasn’t as bad as they made it out to seem.
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Innerestingly, despite the incident, Harry and Meghan have NO intention of staying out of the spotlight! The source shared:
“As far as staying out of sight and being scared to show their faces, that’s not going to happen. [This has] just strengthened their resolve to keep standing up for themselves and speaking out when they feel wronged.”
Such a love-hate relationship with fame! It’s only served to bolster their growing reputation as professional victims — making public statements asking to be left alone, going to big public events where they then have to escape the cameras.
We don’t want to diminish what may well have been traumatizing for Harry — considering how much it resembled the circumstances surrounding his mother Princess Diana’s death. But we have to wonder how they plan to step out in public in a less dangerous way moving forward?? Surely they don’t want this to happen again, right?
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Over the weekend, Ashley Hansen, a spokesperson for the Archewell founders, blasted those who have been sending the couple hate and making up rumors about the debacle, including claiming the whole thing was merely a PR stunt. She told The New York Times:
“Respectfully, considering the Duke’s family history, one would have to think nothing of the couple or anybody associated with them to believe this was any sort of PR stunt. Quite frankly, I think that’s abhorrent.”
These latest comments come on the heels of the High Court in London’s decision to ban Harry from paying for his own police protection in the UK, something he’d been campaigning for amid a years-long legal battle. Pretty awful timing considering he felt the need for police assistance just in NYC! It’ll be VERY inneresting to see how Harry and Meghan deal with public appearances in the future. Predictions? Let us know (below)!
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