New York City Mayor Eric Adams told reporters he hadn’t received a full briefing about the incident yet, but he called it “reckless and irresponsible” for anyone to be chasing people in the densely populated city.

Mayor Adams added that “two of our officers could have been injured.”

The New York Police Department (NYPD) did not provide immediate comment to describe or corroborate the royals’ statement about the incident.

The incident in New York has taken place while Prince Harry is pursuing multiple civil claims against UK newspaper groups for alleged phone hacking.

He is bringing a contested claim against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) over allegations of unlawful information gathering.

Harry is also waiting for rulings over whether similar cases against publishers Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) and News Group Newspapers (NGN) can continue.

A judgment is also expected over the duke’s libel claim against ANL - publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday - over an article on his case against the Home Office.

The Duke of Sussex has made a number of withering comments against the UK media over the years.

Speaking to ITV’s Tom Bradby about his memoir Spare, Harry referred to the media as the “devil” and blamed the ongoing rift between him and his family on the press.

Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu, a prominent lawyer and activist, said her heart was ‘literally in my mouth’ after hearing the news of the paparazzi chase of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in New York.

The author has been critical of the Royal Family’s treatment of the Duchess of Sussex and supportive of Harry telling his story via his bestselling memoir Spare.

In a tweet she said: “OMG! Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and her mum Doria were in a ‘near catastrophic car chase’ involving paparazzi.

“My heart was literally in my mouth dreading the next words. I was already praying ‘please God no’ to avert my worst fears. Bloody hell!”

In a full statement, Harry and Meghan’s spokesperson said: “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.

“This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD 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.

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

The Independent approached the New York Police Department (NYPD) about the incident who said they have “no information to release about the matter”.

A relentless pursuit. Two hours. The son and his wife in the car. It is a succession of coincidences and details that will make the blood of every right thinking person boil, writes Samuel Fishwick.

Prince Harry and Meghan reportedly believe the pursuit by photographers of their taxi after a New York event on Tuesday could have been fatal.

It allegedly involved six blacked-out vehicles with unidentified people driving recklessly and endangering the convoy and everyone around them.

The couple accept a heightened level of attention when they are at public events, and in this case they exited and entered the venue publicly, allowing photographers to get pictures.

The family was staying at a private residence and did not want to compromise the security of their friend’s home.

It is said that traffic violations included driving on the pavement and through red lights, reversing down a one-way street, illegally blocking a moving vehicle and driving while photographing and while on the phone; that while those involved were confronted by uniformed police multiple times, they continued the pursuit; and there is footage taken from security along with other evidence to support these allegations.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were pictured leaving the Ms. Foundation for Women event on Tuesday evening prior to an alleged two hour car chase involving photographers.

The Duchess of Sussex received the 2023 Women of Vision award from Gloria Steinem at Ziegfeld Ballroom.