‘Recollections may vary’: Harry, Meghan ruthlessly mocked over ‘car chase’ demands

The Duke and Duchess became a trans-Atlantic punchline after sending a legal ‘demand’ for photos from the US paparazzi agency accused in their ‘near-catastrophic’ car chase.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been ruthlessly trolled for “demanding” photos and video from the paparazzi agency they allege were behind a car chase through the streets of New York.

It comes as sources claimed the couple instigated the paparazzi showdown because they were “too cheap” to pay for a hotel and didn’t want to reveal the address of house they were staying.

Quoting police sources, The New York Post reported Prince Harry and Ms Markle were refused the “hefty” discount they requested at the Carlyle Hotel.

“They should have just gotten a hotel for the safety of everyone. Instead, they were cheap and wanted a free place to stay,” the source said.

As friends of Prince William reportedly revelled in the rapidly deteriorating story from “near catastrophic” to “home in 20 minutes”, lawyers for the Sussexes sent a thinly-veiled legal threat to Backgrid USA.

“We hereby demand that Backgrid [photo agency] immediately provide us with copies of all photos, videos, and/or films taken last night by the freelance photographers after the couple left their event and over the next several hours,” a letter from their lawyers proclaimed.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle posing for photos Picture: Getty Images

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle not posing for photos, which they’ve demanded from the paparazzi agency. Picture: MEGA/GC Images

The images were wanted to improve security in the future, the letter reportedly said.

Lawyers for the freelance photographer agency reminded the former working Royals that the British monarchy hasn’t held dominion over the United States for some 200-odd years.

“In America, as I’m sure you know, property belongs to the owner of it: Third parties cannot just demand it be given to them, as perhaps Kings can do,” Backgrid’s legal team responded, according to The New York Post

“Perhaps you should sit down with your client and advise them that his English rules of royal prerogative to demand that the citizenry hand over their property to the Crown were rejected by this country long ago. We stand by our founding fathers,” they added, referencing the American Revolution that succeed from the then-King George III.

The latest mockery of the so-called pursuit comes as the deafening silence of Buckingham Palace, which has reportedly frustrated Prince Harry, turned into leaks of amusement among Royal insiders over the widespread scepticism of the Sussex’s story.

A friend Prince William joked that “recollections may vary”, in a call back to Queen Elizabeth’s whip-sharp repose to allegations of racism in the British Royal family.

The two-hour chase through New York with a gaggle of photographers chasing their convoy, doing pedestrians on the street, and near collisions into question was called into question from varying recollections the evening from police, photographers, and a taxi driver.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle took a taxi as they attempted to evade paparazzi. Picture: Twitter

Harry and Meghan, probably, in New York. Picture: Warren Brown, The Daily Telegraph

Asked if Prince William would take Prince Harry’s side against invasive paparazzi, a friend told The Daily Beast he questioned why the Duke of Sussex would attend award ceremonies in New York if a swarm of photographers gave him flashbacks to Princess Diana’s death.

“William and Catherine have put up with shit like this in the past,” he said. “Everyone understands his anger at the photographers, but making hysterical statements doesn’t help matters, especially when, as the queen might have said, recollections may vary.”

A friend of the King, meanwhile, told The Beast’s Royalist Correspondent, Tom Sykes, that Prince Harry’s approach to dealing with the intense attention and scrutiny “just makes it all worse”.

“Charles will completely understand Harry being upset at being pursued by the paparazzi. He knows how scary it can be. But he has always tried to get Harry to understand that complaining about photographers or the media is pointless.”