Did Prince Harry & Meghan Markle’s Paparazzi Chase Happen Because

Could Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have easily avoided this whole paparazzi mess?

As we’ve been reporting, the couple and the 41-year-old’s mother, Doria Ragland, reported being involved in a “near catastrophic car chase” with “highly aggressive paparazzi” in New York City earlier this week. A rep for Meghan and Harry claimed they were followed for more than two hours, and the chase “resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians, and two NYPD officers.” Things got so bad that law enforcement sources told Deadline that scooters and motorbikes drove onto the sidewalks at one point. Super scary!

As you’ve probably heard, however, not everyone is buying that things were as dangerous as the Sussexes made the situation seem! The NYPD‘s statement certainly didn’t sound nearly so scary, saying Meghan and Harry “arrived at their destination” with “no reported collisions, summonses, injuries or arrests in regard.” A photographer at the scene told People that they “don’t see how it was near catastrophic other than crazy hyperbole.” The trio’s taxi driver Sukhcharn Singh did not feel like he was “in danger” at the time. Even Whoopi Goldberg has her doubts!

Related: Prince William’s Friend MOCKS Harry & Meghan’s Car Chase Reaction!

Regardless if this whole situation was blown out of proportion, it must have been terrifying for Prince Harry since his own mother, Princess Diana, died in a car crash during a paparazzi chase. But could the couple have avoided these dramatic events altogether? A new report claims yes… if Meghan and Harry hadn’t been too cheap to pay for a hotel!

See, we know they were on their way to a friend’s home after the Mrs. Foundation’s Women of Vision Awards. And when the paps started following them, the reason the “chase” lasted so long is because they didn’t want to lead photographers to that person’s private residence. Fair enough. But a question you may have had yourself is… why not just get a hotel room then?

According to Page Six on Friday, a law enforcement source says the Duke and Duchess of Sussex did try. They demanded that The Carlyle give them a huge discount on a room during their stay in the city all week. The insider explained:

“They should have just gotten a hotel for the safety of everyone. Instead, they were cheap and wanted a free place to stay. Harry and Meghan’s people called the Carlyle ahead of the trip and asked for a discounted room, and the hotel said no.”

When the hotel bosses refused to cut the price, the pair took their business elsewhere – straight to the doorstep of their friend’s home on the Upper East Side. Yeah, they stayed at their pal’s house for free rather than paying full price.

Photographers reportedly started aggressively pursuing them from the Ziegfeld Theater to figure out where the two were staying in the city. Ultimately, Harry and Meghan didn’t want to lead them to their friend’s home. You know, to respect their privacy and not have them get hounded by paps throughout the week! Thus, the Archewell co-founders got into this messy situation. The source continued:

“If they had just paid up and got a hotel in the first place, this supposed ‘dangerous’ paparazzi chase around town would never have happened. They would have been driven back to the Carlyle, been photographed going inside and that would have been the end of it.”

It’s odd Meghan and Harry didn’t cough up the cash to stay at The Carlyle as they’ve done in the past. Considering they have a $100 million Netflix deal and multiple business ventures, you would think even a $1,240-$6,000 per night room wouldn’t break the bank. Maybe they’re just being prudent? It’s a bit of a mystery.

No matter their reason for it, though, the law enforcement source blasted Harry and Meghan for risking other people’s lives just because they didn’t want to pay for a room:

“Harry and Meghan put regular people’s lives at risk because they are cheap. They should just accept that people are going to take photos of them, photographers are going to follow them — this is New York — and they have to take intelligent steps to ensure their own security for the safety of themselves and everyone else.”

OK, even if this is true though, wouldn’t it still be the aggressive paps’ fault? We mean, shouldn’t they be able to visit friends without being followed? Should they have made a different choice once they saw they were being followed? Maybe so…

But we have to say, this source seems to want it both ways — saying there was no danger but also blasting Harry and Meghan for causing the danger.

Thoughts, Perezcious readers? Do you buy these claims? Let us know in the comments below.

[Image via MEGA/WENN, Conde Nast Traveler/YouTube]

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