FOG BLOG U.S. LOG: HARRY & MEGHAN CHASED THROUH STREETS OF NEW YORK FOR 2 HRS. BY PAPARAZZI!

Prince Harry and Meghan pursued in their car by photographers in New York NEW YORK -

Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, were pursued in their car by photographers after a charity event in New York, an incident that the mayor and the couple's office described Wednesday as potentially dangerous and stirred memories of the 1997 car crash that killed Harry's mother, Princess Diana.

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.

The cab driver, Sukhcharn Singh, told The Associated Press that he instantly recognized his passengers when they scooted in. "They were following us the whole time," he said of the paparazzi, though he said he wouldn't call it a chase. The New York City police department confirmed the incident involving photographers and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex but said no injuries, collision or arrests took place after Meghan accepted an award from the Ms. Foundation.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams told reporters he hadn't received a full briefing yet, but he called it "reckless and irresponsible" for anyone to be chasing people in vehicles in the densely populated city, and said two officers could have been injured.

Harry and Meghan's office said in a statement that the chase "resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers." It called the incident "near catastrophic."

"While being a public figure comes with a level of interest from the public, it should never come at the cost of anyone's safety," the statement from the couple said.

Harry, the younger son of King Charles III, and the former actress Meghan Markle married at Windsor Castle in 2018. They stepped down as working royals in 2020, citing what they described as the unbearable intrusions and racist attitudes of the British media.

Harry's fury at the media has been building for years. He blames an overly aggressive press for the death of his mother, and also accuses the media of hounding Meghan.

"My deepest fear is history repeating itself," Harry said in a 2019 statement when Meghan filed suit against the publisher of the Mail on Sunday.