Harry - Meghan asked the US company to hand over the chase photos

Backgrid USA said Harry and Meghan asked them to hand over photos and videos taken by paparazzi while tailing the couple in New York on May 16.

A spokesman for Harry and Meghan said the car carrying the couple and Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, was "dangerously pursued by aggressive paparazzi" on the evening of May 16. The pursuit on the streets of New York lasted nearly two hours, nearly causing collisions with other vehicles, pedestrians and two police officers.

Backgrid USD, a California-based photo company, announced on May 19 that it had received a letter from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's legal team, demanding that the company "immediately hand over any backup copies of photos, videos or films taken by freelance photographers from the time the couple left the event and in the hours afterward."

The company said its lawyers had refused the request. "As you probably know, in the United States, property belongs to the owner. A third party cannot simply ask us to give it to them and we have to comply, which is what kings might do."

Representatives of Harry and Meghan declined to comment.

Harry and Meghan leave an event in New York, USA, on the evening of May 16. Photo: Bestimage — Harry and Meghan leave an event in New York, USA, on the evening of May 16. Photo: *Bestimage*

Previously, the California-based photo company announced that it was taking Harry's allegations seriously and would investigate the car chase on the evening of May 16, even though "paparazzi at the scene said the two were not in any danger at that time."

The New York Police Department, the city's mayor and law enforcement confirmed that a chase had occurred, but used softer language than Harry and Meghan described. The New York Police Department said "multiple paparazzi" had "impeded the movement" of the Harry and Meghan family after they left an event honoring Meghan. Mayor Eric Adams expressed doubts about the claim that the chase lasted two hours. But he stressed that regardless of the length of the chase, it was "reckless" and "irresponsible".

The chase caused a stir, recalling the circumstances of Princess Diana's death. She died in a Paris car crash in 1997 while fleeing paparazzi. Harry often spoke of the pain of losing his mother at the age of 12, and said that every flash of a camera took him "back to one of the most painful moments of my life."

Hong Hanh (According to CNN )

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