Sonny Singh, whose cab the Duke and Duchess of Sussex hopped into after the Ms Foundation for Women's annual gala, recalls what happened after paparazzi swarmed his cab and started taking pictures.
- May 18, 2023
AceShowbiz - The car accident that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were almost involved in was "not near catastrophic," their taxi driver has claimed. Driver Sonny Singh has claimed that the incident, which allegedly saw the royal couple being followed by paparazzi when they were ushered into a street cab after attending the Ms Foundation for Women's annual gala in New York on Tuesday, May 16, has been "exaggerated."
"The security guard hailed me and next thing you know, Prince Harry and his wife were hopping into my cab," the 37-year-old told The Washington Post. "As we went up the block, we got blocked by a garbage truck and all of a sudden paparazzi came and started taking pictures. They were just about to give me the location of where they were going to go but then they told me to circle back to the precinct, so we had to circle back to the precinct."
"They were nice people, they looked nervous, I think they had been chased the whole day or something so they were nervous. But the security guard was on it. I don't think it is true [that it was near-catastrophic], I think that's all exaggerated so don't read too much into that," Sonny added. "New York is the safest place to be, right? There are police stations and cops on every corner so there's nothing to be afraid of."
Following the crash, a representative for Harry, whose mother Princess Diana was killed in a car accident in 1997 at the age of 36, alleged that the "relentless pursuit" of the royal couple had resulted in "near collisions" involving a slew of other drivers and pedestrians. The rep said, "This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians, and two NYPD (New York Police Department) officers."
Harry's rep added, "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. Dissemination of these images, given the ways in which they were obtained, encourages a highly intrusive practice that is dangerous to all involved."
What's more, the NYPD has released a statement in which they claim that "no arrests" have been made following the incident, nor was anyone at the scene injured. In a statement, police said, "Tuesday evening, May 16, the NYPD assisted the private security team protecting the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. There were numerous photographers that made their transport challenging. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived at their destination and there were no reported collisions, summonses, injuries, or arrests in regard."
At the time of the alleged incident, Harry and Meghan were said to be in a car with the Duchess of Sussex's mother Doria Ragland.
