The Photo Agency Responsible for Prince Harry & Meghan Markle’s Car Chase Is Finally Speaking Out & We’ve Got Questions

Giovana Gelhoren
·3 min read
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When a spokesperson for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry announced that the two of them, and Markle’s mother Doria Ragland, were involved in a “near catastrophic car chase” on Tuesday night, they were making some serious claims. In addition to giving us all flashbacks of Princess Diana‘s fatal car crash and making us all immediately worry about their safety, the allegations also heavily accused the paparazzi of unacceptable and inappropriate behavior. And though paparazzi have a long-standing feud with celebrities, they’re also just people trying to do their jobs and make money to pay the bills.

So, given the seriousness of the claims, the main photo agency behind those paparazzi, Backgrid USA, is giving its own perspective on the events on May 16.

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“At Backgrid USA Inc., we value transparency and ethics in journalism, which include providing fair and factual responses to claims,” the company said in a statement to Entertainment Tonight. “We are aware of Prince Harry’s statement regarding an alleged ‘near catastrophic car chase’ involving himself, Meghan Markle, and her mother, in New York City on Tuesday night. We want to clarify that we have received photos and videos of last night’s events from four freelance photographers, three of whom were in cars and one of whom was riding a bicycle. 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 continued, adding that the photographers “were covering the couple’s stay in New York City, including the possibility of a dinner after an award ceremony.” Though that may be true, Backgrid added that the photographers “had no intention of causing any distress or harm, as their only tool was their cameras.”

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As for the claims themselves, the photo agency then went on to accuse the Sussexes’ staff. “One of the four SUVs from Prince Harry’s security escort was driving in a manner that could be perceived as reckless,” the agency claimed. “The vehicle was seen blocking off streets, and in one video, it is shown being pulled over by the police.”

The company then went on to deny that their photographers were being “highly aggressive paparazzi,” a term used in their initial statement. In addition, Backgrid also disputed the Sussexes’ claim that an accident almost occurred. “According to the photographers present, there were no near-collisions or near-crashes during this incident,” the agency continued. “The photographers have reported feeling that the couple was not in immediate danger at any point.”

“At Backgrid USA Inc., we do not condone any form of harassment or illegal activity,” the company concluded. “We are taking Prince Harry’s allegations seriously and will be conducting a thorough investigation into the matter.”

Although the statement is as expected from a company defending its own employees, it looks like the incident will be a she-said, he-said situation for the time being. After all, whether or not the photographers felt they were “not in immediate danger” or not doesn’t matter, what matters is they felt it, right? And, as for the near-collisions claims, that feels just as subjective – what one feels like is an almost-accident could be totally different from what another one does. Anyways, guess we’ll have to stay tuned for the next chapters.

Before you go, click here to see every single time the royal family shaded Meghan Markle and Prince Harry since they stepped down as royals.

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