Harry & Meghan’s New York ‘car chase’ happened because they were too cheap to pay for hotel: source

There are allegations that Harry and Meghan’s supposed “near catastrophic” car chase occurred because they refused to cough up for a hotel.

Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex are seen on May 16, 2023 in New York, New York. (Photo by MEGA/GC Images)

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s “near-catastrophic car chase” happened because they were too cheap to pay for a hotel, sources have revealed.

The couple allegedly demanded The Carlyle — the late Princess Diana’s favourite hotel — give them a discounted room for their New York City visit this week.

According to police sources, bosses at The Carlyle refused the hefty discount, so the embattled pair instead stayed at a friend’s house on the Upper East Side.

But when the paparazzi began following them on Tuesday from Midtown Mahnattan’s Ziegfeld Theatre — in what their spokesman claimed was a “relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours” — the duo didn’t want to lead the photographers back to their friend’s home and reveal where they were staying.

A New York City Police Department (NYPD) source toldThe New York Post’s Page Six section: “They should have just gotten a hotel for the safety of everyone. Instead, they were cheap and wanted a free place to stay.”

Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex are seen on May 16, 2023 in New York, New York. (Photo by MEGA/GC Images)

According to the source, “Harry and Meghan’s people called The Carlyle ahead of the trip and asked for a discounted room, and the hotel said no”.

“If they had just paid up and got a hotel in the first place, this supposed ‘dangerous’ paparazzi chase around town would never have happened. They would have been driven back to The Carlyle, been photographed going inside and that would have been the end of it.”

In the past, Harry and Meghan have been regulars at the Carlyle, where rooms go from around $1900 and suites up to $9000 a night.

They checked into the iconic hotel during a visit to New York in 2021, and were seen dining at the hotel’s famed Bemelmans Bar.

Diana frequented the Royal Suite on the 22nd floor of The Carlyle whenever she was in town. It now costs upward of $12,000 a night.

The Carlyle Hotel in New York is a celebrity favourite. Picture: Benedict Brook

Why the pair didn’t pay up for a room remains a mystery, given they have a reported $150 million deal with Netflix plus numerous other business ventures.

Page Six reported on Wednesday that Harry, 38, Markle and Markle’s mother, Doria Ragland, were “extremely upset and shaken” after being chased for two hours in what their spokesman said could have been a “near-catastrophic” incident.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex attend the Ms. Foundation Women of Vision Awards: Celebrating Generations of Progress & Power at Ziegfeld Ballroom on May 16, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images Ms. Foundation for Women)

After the Suits star, 41, received an award from Gloria Steinem at the 2023 Women of Vision ceremony, the three got in an SUV around 10pm.

Followed by the paparazzi, the couple, as well as Ragland, 66, and their security guards, reportedly went into a police station, then jumped into a yellow cab in an effort to fool photographers, before returning to their own car.

The couple’s spokesman claimed the so-called “chase” “resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers. 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”.

However, following their allegations, eyewitnesses claimed the couple exaggerated the incident, and that they were not followed for two hours.

“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived at their destination, and there were no reported collisions, summonses, injuries or arrests in regard,” the New York City Police Department said in a statement on Wednesday.

“Harry and Meghan put regular people’s lives at risk because they are cheap,” the law enforcement source told Page Six. “They should just accept that people are going to take photos of them, photographers are going to follow them — this is New York — and they have to take intelligent steps to ensure their own security for the safety of themselves and everyone else.”

Spokesmen for Harry and Meghan and The Carlyle did not comment.

This story appeared in the New York Post and is reproduced with permission.