Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, narrowly avoided a potentially disastrous incident during a harrowing car chase in New York on Tuesday.
They were pursued relentlessly by an aggressive group of paparazzi, which brought back haunting memories of the tragic 1997 accident that claimed the life of Prince William and Harry's mother, Princess Diana.
The pursuit lasted for more than two hours, leading to numerous close calls with other vehicles on the road, pedestrians, and even two New York Police Department officers. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were returning from the Ms. Foundation's ceremony, where Meghan had received an award for her contributions to women and feminist movements.
This incident served as a stark reminder of Princess Diana's untimely death. In 1997, at the age of 36, she tragically passed away in Paris while being pursued by the paparazzi.
The fatal accident also claimed the lives of Princess Diana's boyfriend, Dodi Fayed, and their chauffeur, Henri Paul.
Prince Harry, who was only 12 years old when his mother passed away, disclosed in his memoir, "Spare," that he had an intense desire to retrace the route his mother took during her final moments. He wanted to drive through the tunnel at the exact speed of "65 miles per hour," which was believed to be the speed at the time of the crash, contrary to the initial reports of 120 miles per hour in the press.
During the car chase in New York, it was reported that the California-based couple was trailed by several blacked-out vehicles, driven by unidentified individuals.
One of the vehicles was even observed photographing while in motion, and another illegally obstructed the path of another moving vehicle. To avoid the paparazzi's prying eyes, Prince Archie and Lilibet's parents took a convoluted route across 57th street and other streets for approximately one hour and fifteen minutes.
Despite the alarming ordeal, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle emerged shaken but unharmed from the near-catastrophic car chase involving the paparazzi.
