An American photo agency has rejected Harry and Meghan’s desire for photos from a ‘almost disastrous’ car chase with photographers in New York this week.
According to Backgrid USA, the prince’s ‘English rules of royal prerogative to demand that the populace surrender over their property to the Crown were rejected by this country long ago’.
The agency verified receiving images and video from four freelance photographers – three in cars and one on a bicycle – on Tuesday night, May 16.
However, it has denied the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s allegations of a ‘near catastrophic’ automobile chase across Manhattan’s Upper East Side after the couple attended an awards ceremony.
On Thursday, the US gossip website TMZ released details of the legal tit-for-tat, including a portion of a letter issued to Backgrid by the Sussexes’ lawyers.
It was said to say, ‘We hereby demand that Backgrid immediately furnish us with copies of all photos, videos, and/or films taken last night by the freelance photographers after the couple left their event and for the next several hours.’
According to sources, they are also requesting that the New York Police Department conduct an investigation. The Mail has reached out to the Sussexes’ legal team in the United Kingdom for comment.
Backgrid flatly refused to send over the material. According to TMZ, an excerpt from the agency’s legal statement stated: ‘In America, as I’m sure you know, property belongs to the owner of it. Third parties cannot simply demand it be handed over to them.
‘Perhaps you should get down with your client and inform them that his English norms of royal prerogative to demand that citizens hand over their property to the Crown were long ago rejected by this country.’
Backgrid went on to say, ‘We stand with our founding fathers.’
The agency stated that it has initiated its own investigation since it does not ‘condone any type of harassment or unlawful behaviour’. However, it has also stated that the photographers on Tuesday night ‘had no intention of inflicting any pain or harm, as their sole tool was their cameras’.
Security personnel working for the couple have stated that they were concerned for the safety of members of the public who were caught up in what they described as a terrifying situation.
‘While being a public person comes with a level of curiosity from the public, it should never come at the cost of anyone’s safety,’ said a spokesman for the Sussexes in a statement on Wednesday.
The incident occurred following the couple’s attendance at the Women of Vision awards ceremony.
