Duke and Duchess of Sussex ‘frustrated’ by Royal Family’s response to car chase drama

The already tense relationship between the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Royal Family has been further strained by the New York car chase drama.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are frustrated The King and other senior royals have not been in touch in the wake of their “near catastrophic car chase” in New York, according to UK reports.

The London-based Daily Telegraph reported Prince Harry’s hopes that the experience might have prompted his father to contact him.

The Duke and Duchess have not heard from any senior members of the Royal family since revealing that they were involved in what they claimed was a “relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours” that could have been fatal.

The Telegraph reported the couple hoped for some sort of show of support from the Royal family, and have been left frustrated by the lack of contact, as well as Buckingham Palace’s refusal to publicly acknowledge or comment on the incident.

HARRY, MEGHAN’S TEAM ‘DROVE IN RECKLESS MANNER’

The war of words over the paparazzi pursuit of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle has intensified, with the couple’s security chief and the photographers blaming each other for driving dangerously through New York.

Two days after the incident, described by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as a “near catastrophic car chase” lasting two hours, confusion reigned about the late-night drama.

Buda Security president Tom Buda, who was hired to protect and transport the royals during their Manhattan visit, said it was a “frightening” chase caused by paparazzi “driving aggressively and badly”.

After Harry and Meghan left the Women of Vision Awards, along with Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland, Mr Buda told NBC News that photographers were “following us to find out where we were staying” while other cars pushed ahead of them to slow down traffic.

Although it was “not a high-speed pursuit”, Mr Buda said it was “reckless” behaviour.

Prince Harry and Meghan at the Ms. Foundation Women of Vision Awards prior to the incident with the paps. Picture: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images Ms. Foundation for Women

But paparazzi agency Backgrid, which hired four of the photographers involved, disputed Harry and Meghan’s account of the incident.

The agency said their photographers were following the couple because they believed they were going out for dinner after the ceremony.

“The photographers report that one of the four SUVs from Prince Harry’s security escort was driving in a manner that could be perceived as reckless,” Backgrid said in a statement.

“The vehicle was seen blocking off streets, and in one video, it is shown being pulled over by the police. We understand that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s security detail had a job to do, and we respect their work.”

“We do, however, want to point out that according to the photographers present, there were no near-collisions or near-crashes during this incident.”

A paparazzi driver involved in the pursuit, who spoke anonymously to Good Morning Britain, also claimed it was Harry and Meghan’s driver who made it a “catastrophic experience”.

“It was very tense trying to keep up with the vehicles. They did a lot of blocking and there was a lot of different types of manoeuvres to stop what was happening,” he said.

“If they were going 80mph, I would probably have been going 20mph behind them and hoping to keep sight of them,” he said.

“So if it was dangerous and catastrophic, it was more than likely based on the person that was driving.”

Mr Buda said Harry and Meghan were “shaken up” by the incident, and that Ms Ragland had been particularly affected.

But Princess Diana’s former bodyguard Ken Wharfe – who was in charge of Harry’s mother’s security from 1987 to 1993 – played down the incident.

He told Good Morning Britain the paparazzi were “at worst a nuisance” and they were “not out to cause the death” of those they were photographing.

“I think we have to be a little bit careful there,” he said.

In the aftermath of the incident, according to The Times, Harry told friends it was the closest he had come to understanding how his mother died in a car crash after being chased by paparazzi in Paris in 1997.

Originally published as Duke and Duchess of Sussex ‘frustrated’ by Royal Family’s response to car chase drama