Prince Harry pressured New York cops to speed up their investigation and make arrests after their ‘high speed’ chase with photographers through the streets of Manhattan. He even claimed there was a cover-up, letters and emails obtained by DailyMail.com show. ‘The duke feels intentionally misled and is suspicious of a cover-up,’ one missive from his security company to the New York Police Department said.
Harry also demanded that arrests be made the very next day and threatened to make an official complaint. The demand came after John Hart, the NYPD’s top intelligence officer, had sent police in London two letters, one saying there was not enough evidence to make arrests and a second – three months later – saying there was.
To date, no arrests have been made in connection with the May 2023 incident. Hart’s original letter was sent in September 2023. The second arrived on December 6 that year, midway through a hearing in London when he was trying to get the British government to pay for protection for him and his family while visiting the UK. But TorchStone then sent an email saying Harry was upset at the slow pace of the NYPD’s investigation and felt ‘intentionally misled’.
The couple said in a statement that after they left the ceremony they were involved in a ‘near catastrophic car chase’ involving a ‘a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi’
Harry even asked California Governor Gavin Newsom for a contact with the prosecutors in New York – and wanted to take the matter higher if ‘necessary’. This new information is the latest twist surrounding the car chase incident after Harry’s wife Meghan Markle had received the Ms. Foundation for Women of Vision Award at the Ziegfeld Ballroom on May 16 of last year.
The couple claimed in a statement that after they left the ceremony they were involved in a ‘near catastrophic car chase’ involving ‘a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi’ who pursued them through the streets of Manhattan.
One of their security team, Chris Sanchez from TorchStone, told CNN that it was ‘chaotic’ and ‘could have been fatal’ and involved ruthless photographers jumping curbs and going through red lights. Footage captured by TMZ showed Harry and Meghan in a taxi at one point.
Omid Scobie, a biographer of the Sussexes, even claimed the ‘pursuit went on for two hours’ and Harry and Meghan’s car ‘went up to 80 miles an hour’.
But skeptics immediately called the account into question because of the amount of traffic there usually is on Manhattan streets. New York Mayor Eric Adams said it was ‘hard to believe’ there was a lengthy high speed car chase.
The NYPD’s top intelligence officer John Hart revised his original statement that there was no probable cause to arrest any of the photographers involved in a later letter
The letter sent on September 18, 2023, said that a thorough review of the incident had taken place on May 16, 2023, and they concluded ‘that the behavior in question was reckless’ but they ‘did not have sufficient evidence to arrest an individual’
Emails obtained by DailyMail.com through a Freedom of Information request show that Harry’s team repeatedly pressed the NYPD about the incident. The first letter from the NYPD was dated September 18, 2023, and was addressed to Richard Smith, the Chief Superintendent Commander for Royalty and Specialty Protection at the Metropolitan Police in London.
The letter says that a thorough review of the incident had taken place and they concluded ‘that the behavior in question was reckless’, but they didn’t have enough evidence to make an arrest. In a statement at the time, the NYPD said there were ‘numerous photographers that made their (the Sussexes) transport challenging’.
‘The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived at their destination and there were no reported collisions, summonses, injuries, or arrests in regard,’ said Julian Phillips, the Deputy Commissioner for Public Information. Hart later met with three people from TorchStone for 30 minutes on Microsoft Teams.
The subject of the visit was: ‘NYC Visit of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’, referring to the planned visit that October by the Sussexes to New York for World Mental Health Day.
Then, on December 6, 2023, Hart sent the second letter to TorchStone, the private security firm used by the Duke. This time the document was titled ‘Duke and Duchess Revised’. Hart wrote in the subject line ‘as discussed’
The letter was the same as the first one except for one key difference – this time the NYPD said tthere ws ‘sufficient evidence’ to arrest two people
Omid Scobie, a biographer of the Sussexes, claimed the ‘pursuit went on for two hours’ with speeds up to 80 miles an hour’ but New York’s Mayor Eric Adams said it was ‘hard to believe’ there was a high speed car chase through Manhattan’s crowded streets
The emails do not state whether the matter of revising the letter came up and no agenda was included in the material released. Then, on December 6, Hart sent the second letter to police in London, copying it to TouchStone under the subject line ‘as discussed’. The letter was the same as the first, with one key difference – there was now ‘sufficient evidence to arrest two individuals for reckless endangerment’.
The second letter appeared to provide a sense of vindication for the Sussexes and arrived at a crucial time for the Duke. December 6 was the second day of a three-day hearing at the High Court in London where he was trying to compel the British government to give him full royal security protection while on visits to the UK.
Prince Harry was opposing a decision made in 2020 by the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures to downgrade his protection status after he stepped back from being a working royal. During the proceedings Harry’s lawyer read out an emotional statement on his behalf in which he said that without proper protection he couldn’t bring his family back to Britain.
Harry said: ‘I can’t put my wife in danger like that, and given my experiences in life, I’m reluctant to unnecessarily put myself in harm’s way too.’ In his final ruling released in February this year, Sir Peter Lane, the presiding judge, said that on the final day of the hearing, Harry’s lawyer ‘produced a copy of a letter dated December 6, 2023, from the Chief of Intelligence in the New York City Police Department’.
The judge wrote that he considered the letter as part of an ‘important point’ about the potential danger posed to Harry and his family by paparazzi. But ultimately the judge rejected Harry’s demands and ruled the British government did not have to give him the same level of security he enjoyed when he was a working royal. Yet even after getting the revised letter, it seems Harry was not done holding the NYPD’s feet to the fire.
TorchStone sent a letter to Hart on December 21, 2023, expressing the Duke’s frustration over the lack of action the NYPD has taken now that probable cause was established. The representative stated Prince Harry felt ‘intentionally misled and is suspicious of a cover-up’
Harry was fighting to get back added protection in the UK that had been removed after the couple stepped back from their royal duties. He used Hart’s letter during proceedings, but a judge ruled against him
In a December 21, 2023, email, a representative from TorchStone contacted Hart expressing the Duke’s frustration in frank terms. It read: ‘Chief Hart, I am writing on behalf of the Duke of Sussex as he has asked that certain things be taken care of by this Friday as it relates to the incident last May in NYC, before he moves forward with an official complaint to the Manhattan District Attorney’s office.
The email was sent on the Thursday before Christmas, meaning that Harry wanted action within a day. ‘He 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 DA’s office on why they haven’t accepted charges. ‘He intends to file a formal complaint about the handling of the situation since May and a complaint against you on whether the DA’s office had the evidence of the paparazzi in the first place to press charges.
‘The Duke has contacted Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office to assist in finding the right point of contact in the Manhattan District Attorney’s office or higher up for further discussions. ‘If there is anything that you would like me to formally pass to the Duke, please let me know and I would be happy to do so.’ In the end, the NYPD decided it only wanted to handle the issue through lawyers. ‘Okay – based on this we will refer all case updates or lack thereof only through counsel,’ Hart replied.
‘Please let us know if they have any further travel to NYC region – we will continue to provide coverage reflective of the October visit.’ DailyMail.com sent a detailed series of questions to Harry and Meghan’s representatives, TorchStone, the NYPD, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office and Gov. Newsom’s office. The NYPD, the DA, Gov. Newsom and the Sussexes’ team did not respond. TorchStone declined to comment.
