A spokesperson for Prince Harry and wife Meghan said on Wednesday the couple were subject to a "smash-and-grab" paparazzi pursuit as they left an awards ceremony in New York, but photographers have denied their account. TMZ magazine obtained video of Harry, Meghan and her mother Doria Ragland being chauffeured by a security team while pursued by photographers, one of whom told Good Morning Britain they were disappointed when the couple weren't heading for dinner and so blocked the vehicles to try and achieve their goal.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have not received personal contact from the Royal family following their recent car chase in New York; the lack of personal contact is said to have frustrated the couple. They released a statement relating to the alleged “relentless pursuit” that could have been fatal; however, New York authorities and witnesses have raised concerns about their version of events, particularly the alleged level of danger. The Royal couple's security team has said the "chase was frightening", with their safety put "in danger".
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have just soft-launched their US campaign to influence press privacy laws. However, they may find the American take on celebrity privacy is quite different from their expectations. In Los Angeles, paparazzi behaviour is relatively controlled (though press photographers are still far less restricted than in the UK), but in New York the state constitution doesn't uphold privacy at all. If the couple wants to change the rules around news gathering they may need to attack the methods rather than the news agencies themselves – they'll need Support from a lot of celebrities to be successful.
Paparazzi photographers have said they were not responsible for a “near catastrophic car chase” involving the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in New York. Freelance photographers who were covering the couple’s visit said the couple had not been at any point “in immediate danger”. They suggested the vehicles used by the Sussexes’ security escort may have driven dangerously, potentially “blocking off streets”. Backgrid USA, a celebrity news service, is investigating allegations that the couple’s safety was put at risk by paparazzi. Photographers from the company denied that they had been involved in any near misses, stating that the duchess had been photographed smiling in the back of a taxi following an award ceremony. Meanwhile, the UK Treasury has revealed that the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II cost the government an estimated £161.7m. The event, which took place at London’s Westminster Abbey in September 2022, was preceded by an 11-day period of national mourning.
A former Royal Marine who lost two limbs in Afghanistan was fined for using a disabled parking bay despite offering to show the traffic warden his blue badge as proof of disability. Ben McBean was fined on Thursday afternoon in Plymouth, Devon. McBean claims the warden would not accept his offer to scan the badge and simply insisted it was fake. The council has contacted McBean to investigate the incident further. This was not the first time McBean faced issues with his blue badge, having previously fought to get it back from the council when spotted running the London Marathon on his prosthetic leg. However, he explained that in order to avert such issues he had avoided using disabled parking bays, but was forced to do so by circumstances.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were followed by photographers in New York on Tuesday in what a spokesperson for the prince described as a "near catastrophic car chase". Despite reports to the contrary, no collision or arrests occurred. The incident highlighted the tense relationship between celebrities and photographers, particularly for the royal couple as both cited media intrusion as a reason for stepping back from royal duties, and the incident recalled how Princess Diana died in 1997 after being pursued by paparazzi. Rules regulating paparazzi vary between countries and US states.
American photo agency Backgrid has refused a request from lawyers representing Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, to release all footage and images taken during an alleged car chase of the couple on Tuesday night. The request followed a claim from the couple’s representatives that they were followed by photographers for over two hours after leaving an awards ceremony in Manhattan. Backgrid responded to the demand, stating that “property belongs to the owner of it: Third parties cannot just demand it be given to them, as perhaps Kings can do.”
Matt Hancock, former Conservative Party MP, has criticised a comment made by Conservative MP Danny Kruger defining a ‘normative family’ structure as the “only basis for a safe and functioning society.” Hancock stated that the king’s family did not fit this model but provide a basis for a strong and functioning society. Hancock accused Kruger of being offensive and having fringe views within the Conservative Party.
Agency refuses to hand over Harry and Meghan photos
BBC
23-05-18 21:54
Photo agency Backgrid has declined a demand by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s legal team to release footage taken during a car chase in New York City, during which the royals claim they were endangered by photographers. Backgrid said that its lawyers had replied to the Sussexes that “this country long ago rejected” the notion of “royal prerogative” and that property in the US “belongs to the owner of it”, adding: “We stand by our founding fathers”.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have not received personal contact from the Royal family following their recent car chase in New York; the lack of personal contact is said to have frustrated the couple. They released a statement relating to the alleged “relentless pursuit” that could have been fatal; however, New York authorities and witnesses have raised concerns about their version of events, particularly the alleged level of danger. The Royal couple's security team has said the "chase was frightening", with their safety put "in danger".
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have just soft-launched their US campaign to influence press privacy laws. However, they may find the American take on celebrity privacy is quite different from their expectations. In Los Angeles, paparazzi behaviour is relatively controlled (though press photographers are still far less restricted than in the UK), but in New York the state constitution doesn't uphold privacy at all. If the couple wants to change the rules around news gathering they may need to attack the methods rather than the news agencies themselves – they'll need Support from a lot of celebrities to be successful.
Prince Harry will reportedly attend the coronation of his father, King Charles III, in Westminster Abbey on May 6 without his wife, Meghan Markle. The Duchess of Sussex's decision to remain in Montecito, California, is potentially due to the couple's unpopularity in the United Kingdom and the US. Both have faced criticism since the release of their memoir "Spare" and debut Netflix documentary, while the Duke and Duchess's attacks against the British monarchy have reportedly resulted in their isolation from the larger royal family and led calls for the pair to be stripped of their royal titles.
The couple’s popularity reached an all-time low after their revelations in a 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey and accusations of racism in the royal household, resulting in growing acrimony with Prince William and the Princess of Wales. Their engagement in vocal political activism has similarly alienated many Americans. Although Harry will attend his father’s coronation, there are no signs of any reconciliation with his brother.
Despite their royal titles, it appears unlikely that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will have any role in the future of the royal family. Reports suggest that the couple’s sole focus is attaining personal wealth through media deals and production ventures.
Backgrid, a California-based photo agency, has been criticised after it refused to hand over photographs taken of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle who were travelling in New York City last week. The couple had described the behaviour of paparazzi during a “near catastrophic” car chase as “aggressive and determined” but Backgrid’s legal team told the couple’s lawyers that the California legal system does not recognise royal prerogative. Backgrid had been sent a demand by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for copies of all photos and video taken by the paparazzi. The legal communication from Backgrid was widely condemned as an insult to the couple and the journalists who died in the Paris car crash in August 1997 that cost Princess Diana her life.
The incident involving Prince Harry and Meghan Markle has highlighted issues surrounding the safety of celebrities and other notables travelling in public places. New York Police Department has warned Paparazzi over their behaviour and Mayor, Eric Adams has even called for new aggressive driving laws to be introduced. A lack of specific legal protection means that in the US, there is no specific legislation enforcement agencies can use to deal with the issue. In the UK, celebrity “stalking laws” do exist and cover paparazzi activity, but images of public figures can still be legally obtained while they go about their daily lives in public spaces.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has indicated that he does not view incidents involving the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as a priority after he was asked about the couple's claims of a "near catastrophic car chase" in the US. Prince Harry and Meghan alleged that paparazzi had pursued them for over two hours, leading to "multiple near collisions". The New York City Police Department confirmed an incident had taken place but said no arrests or injuries resulted from it.
Olivia Chow surprised political journalist Rick Salutin in Monday’s Toronto mayoral debate with a convincing and compelling performance. Salutin was initially unimpressed after Chow’s English appeared uncertain when she ran in 2014 – despite her extended political experience in Toronto – and he expected little from her this time around. However, he suggests that the lack of formal party politics in Chow’s city politics career thus far has allowed her to be “herself” and avoid rigid party structures and, in Monday’s debate, her improved performance epitomized this.
Prince Harry's quest for privacy may be in direct conflict with his wife's apparent desire for fame, causing a chasm between them. This week the couple claimed they had been "involved in a near catastrophic car chase at the hands of a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi" in New York. The Duke moved to the US to escape media intrusion, and is already trying to reform the British press in his late mother's memory. He is currently waging four separate legal battles against three different newspaper groups over illegal information gathering, phone hacking, and a story he claims to be libellous. While fully supportive of Harry, the media-savvy Duchess let it be known she raised gentle concerns about whether his activism was the right move. As a source said at the time, "Is this the way she would have approached things? Possibly not. But she will always back him and would never have got involved in promoting such a personal project. This was about his own life, his own journey and his own perspective." Nonetheless, the couple seems to be heading in opposite directions – with Meghan looking forward while Harry dwells on the past.
Tesco's chairman John Allan will resign next month after allegations over his behavior risking becoming a "distraction." The decision follows several allegations over Allan's behaviour made in recent weeks, including accusations of inappropriate behaviour on four separate occasions, including an incident in which he was alleged to have touched the bottom of a senior Tesco employee; he was also accused of making inappropriate remarks to two other women on separate occasions between 2019 and 2022, and touching another woman's bottom. Allan denied all but one of the allegations, admitting only to having made comments about a worker's appearance in 2019, apologising for the action.
Photo agency says it has rejected Harry and Meghan’s request to turn over car chase images
CNN
23-05-19 17:12
US photo agency Backgrid USA has refused to release pictures and video of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex taken in New York on Tuesday when the couple had their near-catastrophic car chase with a group of aggressive paparazzi. Backgrid responded to a letter from the Sussexes' legal team, who argued that the material belongs to the couple and not the agency, stating that copyrighted material belongs to them. Metropolitan Police and New York City have both confirmed that photographers made the couple's transport challenging, and that the incident was “reckless” and “irresponsible”.
Tabloid newspaper, the Daily Mirror, has been cited in a case against Mirror Group Newspapers brought by Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, claiming that he was the victim of “unlawful information gathering” from phone hacking, blagging or other channels. The newspaper printed a story in November 2004 identifying Chelsy Davy as the “pretty blonde” the Prince had been on holiday with in Argentina. The Duke claims the information came from Mirror Group News journalists. Former executive news editor, Anthony Harwood, told the court that the Mail on Sunday had identified Davy as Prince Harry’s companion. The Duke has pleaded that 140 articles published in the Daily Mirror, the Sunday Mirror and The People between 1996 and 2010 were obtained through illegal means.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has stated that "cars in New York are not really my priority" in response to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s team having claimed they avoided a "near catastrophic car chase" in the city. Harry and Meghan were followed by paparazzi after attending an awards ceremony with the Duchess’s mother, Doria Ragland, as per a spokesman for the couple. The New York Police Department said that there were no arrests, injuries or reported collisions, but reports say that numerous photographers "made their transport difficult" on Tuesday evening.
The incident sparked criticism from royal fans who claim that the paparazzi “learned nothing from Diana” following the tragic car accident that killed Prince Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, in 1997. The royal couple’s security guard and cab driver have given differing accounts of the chase. A spokesperson for the royals claimed that a “near catastrophic” car chase unfolded after the couple and Ms Markle’s mother attended an awards ceremony in New York City. The “two-hour-long” chase reportedly resulted in multiple near collisions involving “other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers,” the spokesperson said.
