LONDON, ENGLAND: Princess Diana's ex-bodyguard spoke defending the paparazzi who allegedly chased Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, as they claimed the "near catastrophic" car chase was "highly aggressive." Ken Wharfe said that the photographers are "at worst a nuisance" but "are not out to cause the death" of anyone.
Prince Harry and Meghan claimed the shutterbugs were on a "relentless pursuit" on Tuesday, May 16, while they were returning from the Ziegfeld Ballroom in Midtown Manhattan, where the 'Suits' alum attended the Women of Vision Awards as she was honored for her advocacy, reported New York Post.
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'I think we have to be a little bit careful there'
Wharfe, who was in charge of Princess Diana's security between 1987 and 1993, discussed the chase during an interview with ITV's 'Good Morning Britain' on Thursday, May 18. He said, "The paparazzi, at best, can be talked to, but at worst, they're a nuisance. But they're not out to cause the death of any one person. So, I think we have to be a little bit careful there."
Having also served as a bodyguard to Prince Harry and Prince William during their childhood, Wharfe suggested that the security team for the Duke of Sussex may have been inexperienced and unable to handle such a situation. "The protection team he has got at the moment has never dealt with such a high-profile celebrity as Harry and Meghan. I have some sympathy for them," Wharfe said. He further added, "The whole point is you have to take advice on this, and I don't know to what extent the New York Police Department was involved, but basically, it's something that needs to be properly stage-managed."
'They were mocking the paps, provoking them'
Talking to Page Six, an eyewitness accused the couple of escalating the situation and of being "a******s from the start." The source further said that the Sussexes "were mocking the paps, provoking them. You expect that kind of thing from security for rappers or whatever, but with good security — which this should be — you expect them to be similar to Secret Service. These securities egged on the paps."
On Wednesday, May 17, the couple's spokesperson stated that they were involved "in a near catastrophic car chase at the hands of a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi." The spokesperson added that the chase, "lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians, and two NYPD officers."