Prince Harry pressured police to make arrests after incident in New York
Prince Harry accused the New York Police Department of a “cover-up” over their handling of an alleged car chase through Manhattan in May 2023, newly revealed documents appear to show.
The Duke of Sussex demanded arrests of paparazzi photographers and threatened to file formal complaints when no charges were brought following the incident, according to letters and emails obtained through a Daily Mail freedom of information request.
Documents show Harry’s team even sought intervention from California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office to help establish contact with district attorneys when arrests weren’t made.
The confrontation emerged after Harry and Meghan claimed they were subjected to a “relentless pursuit” through Manhattan streets following an awards ceremony in May 2023, though authorities later downplayed the incident.
An unnamed representative from TorchStone, Harry’s security company, wrote to NYPD intelligence chief John B Hart expressing frustration over the lack of charges.
The letter stated that Harry felt “intentionally misled and is suspicious of a cover-up”.
TorchStone demanded police either make arrests by the following day or explain their inaction.
The security firm specified that the Duke “would like the arrests of the paparazzi to happen or have an official letter stating why they have not been arrested or a letter from the DAs [district attorneys] office on why they havent accepted charges”.
The correspondence revealed Harry planned to file a “formal complaint about the handling of the situation”.
His team had also reached out to California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office to “assist in finding the right point of contact” with district attorneys for “further discussions”.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex claimed they were involved in a “near catastrophic car chase at the hands of a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi” as they left the awards ceremony.
Their statement said: “This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers.”
The couple emphasised: “While being a public figure comes with a level of interest from the public, it should never come at the cost of anyones safety.”
However, three law enforcement officials told NBC News they would not characterise the incident as a chase.
New York Mayor Eric Adams cast doubt on the claims, stating he “would find it hard to believe there was a two-hour high-speed chase” through the city’s dense traffic.
No arrests have been made over the incident to date.
A letter from September 2023 from the NYPD to London’s Metropolitan Police stated that while “the behaviour in question was reckless”, insufficient evidence existed to make arrests.
The letter noted that additional police resources would be assigned to protect the Duke and Duchess during future visits to New York from their California home.
However, in a second letter dated December 6, NYPD’s Hart wrote to London police claiming there was now “sufficient evidence to arrest two individuals for reckless endangerment”.
The December correspondence, copied to TorchStone security and marked “as discussed”, did not result in any arrests being made.
The December NYPD letter emerged during a significant three-day High Court hearing where Prince Harry sought to compel the British government to provide him with full royal security protection during UK visits.
Harry’s lawyer presented the letter on the final day of the hearing, as detailed in the ruling by presiding judge Sir Peter Lane.
Sir Peter acknowledged the letter was an “important point” in considering the danger paparazzi posed to the Duke and his family.
Despite this evidence, the judge ultimately ruled against Prince Harry’s bid for the same level of security protection he previously enjoyed as a working royal.
GB News has contacted the Sussexes for comment.