AceShowbiz - Prince Harry and Meghan Markle demanded that a photo agency hand over the footage snapped by paparazzi after their "near-catastrophic car chase" on Tuesday night, May 16. The agency, however, issued a statement rejecting the demand.

"We hereby demand that Backgrid immediately provide us with copies of all photos, videos, and/or films taken last night by the freelance photographers after the couple left their event and over the next several hours," the Duke and Duchess of Sussex wrote in a letter on Wednesday, May 17, according to TMZ.

In response to that, Backgrid wrote a letter of its own that read, "In America, as I'm sure you know, property belongs to the owner of it: Third parties cannot just demand it be given to them, as perhaps Kings can do."

The agency continued saying in the fiery response, "Perhaps you should sit down with your client and advise them that his English rules of royal prerogative to demand that the citizenry hand over their property to the Crown were rejected by this country long ago. We stand by our founding fathers."

In the letter, Backgrid went on to note that they had four photographers, three in cars and one on a bike. It stressed that they "had no intention of causing any distress or harm, as their only tool was their cameras."

It also denied the royals' claims that they were put in danger, saying, "According to the photographers present, there were no near-collisions or near-crashes during this incident. The photographers have reported feeling that the couple was not in immediate danger at any point."

"It is important to note that these photographers have a professional responsibility to cover newsworthy events and personalities, including public figures such as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle," the agency added, before noting that it values "transparency and ethics" in journalism, including "providing fair and factual responses to claims." It additionally promised they will continue to look into the incident.

Harry and Meghan, who were also joined by her mom Doria Ragland, were involved in a "near catastrophic car chase" with paparazzi after attending the Ms. Foundation Women of Vision Awards in New York City. "Last night, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Ms. Ragland were involved in a near catastrophic car chase at the hands of a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi," a spokesperson for the couple revealed in a statement. "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."

"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 continued. "Dissemination of these images, given the ways in which they were obtained, encourages a highly intrusive practice that is dangerous to all in involved."

NYPD confirmed the incident. "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," it said in a statement.

Following the incident, it was said that none of the British royal family has reached out to the couple. A source spilled that neither King Charles III and Queen Camilla, nor Prince William and Kate Middleton have contacted the Sussexes.