Prince Harry, Meghan Markle In 'Near Catastrophic' NYC Chase

NEW YORK CITY — Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were involved in a "near catastrophic," two-hour-long chase by paparazzi across New York City late Tuesday, a spokesperson for the couple said.

The couple and Markle's mother were followed by paparazzi in "relentless pursuit" after they attended a charity event in the city, a spokesperson's statement read and the Associated Press reported.

The chase resulted in "near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers," according to the widely circulated statement.

“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," the statement declared.

Mayor Eric Adams, when asked about the chase during an unrelated news conference, said he was briefed on the "reckless and irresponsible" chase. He hinted he will release more details later Wednesday.

"It would be horrific to lose an innocent bystander during the chase like this and something to have happened to them as well,” he said.

Adams said two NYPD officers could have been injured during the incident. He also said he found it "hard to believe" it would have been a two-hour high-speed chase.

"But we will find out the exact duration of it,” he said.

NYPD spokesperson Julian Phillips, in a statement that included an incorrect date for the chase, confirmed that police assisted the couple's private security team.

"There were numerous photographers that made their transport challenging," Phillips said in the statement. "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived at their destination and there were no reported collisions, summonses, injuries, or arrests in regard."

The couple and her mother Doria Ragland had attended the Women of Vision Awards at the Ziegfeld Theater on West 54th Street and Sixth Avenue, where Markle received an honor, the New York Post reported.

When the trio left the event about 10 p.m., about a dozen paparazzi followed them, according to the Post's report.

The paparazzi were in a half-dozen vehicles in with black-out windows, the Associated Press reported.

During the chase, one car went the wrong way down a one-way street, the New York Daily News reported. At some point, Prince Harry's SUV stopped at the NYPD's 19th Precinct stationhouse on East 67th Street, where Harry, Meghan, her mother and a security guard jumped in a cab, the Daily News reported.

The cab circled the block, with paparazzi in pursuit, before it dropped the quartet back in front of the stationhouse, according to another Daily News report.

The reported incident carried echoes of the death of Harry's mother, Princess Diana, who died in a 1997 car crash while being chased by paparazzi in Paris.

This is a developing story. Refresh for updates.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.