It’s impossible not to be reminded of Diana after ‘dangerous’ pursuit of Harry and Meghan

UK

It’s impossible not to be reminded of Diana.

A relentless pursuit, photographers recklessly driving, and all for a picture of people in the back of a car.

By all accounts, what happened in Manhattan was frightening, dangerous, and very nearly fatal.

Prince Harry attracts huge attention and he knows a public outing with Meghan – the first since the coronation – would entice even more interest. But he certainly won’t have expected this.

The US is his home now, one of the reasons he moved was to escape the British press. Except the press are everywhere, and the appetite for a photo of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex together seems insatiable.

This is perhaps in part because we haven’t seen the couple making many public appearances together. Ever since their Netflix series, Meghan has kept a low profile while Harry released his memoir and gave several subsequent interviews.

She wasn’t at the coronation either, and although Harry came, his appearance was brief and perfunctory. He was spotted at the airport within hours of the service ending.

 Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Doria Ragland and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, are seen arriving to the "Woman Of Vision Awards"
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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were attending an awards ceremony in New York

None of this, of course, justifies the chaos and chase to take the couple’s photo after they left a New York awards ceremony. They hadn’t entered through a backdoor as we’ve seen on some occasions.

In fact, they’d made a public entrance and exit and paused for photos in front of the invited media.

Prince Harry will be furious. We have a well-documented account of his life growing up in the glare of long lenses, his hatred of the press who he blames for his mother’s death.

He’s spoken about paparazzi jumping on the bonnet of his car.

But of course, most poignantly he’s spoken at length about Diana’s relationship with the press, and the incessant intrusion he experienced growing up.

The Princess of Wales holds son Prince Harry while royal families posed for photographers at the Royal Palace, Majorca, Spain on Sunday, August 9, 1987. Prince Charles and Princess Diana with their two children William and Henry are spending a week’s vacation on the island as guests of King Juan Carlos and his family. (AP Photo/John Redman)
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Harry and his mother Diana in 1987. Pic: AP

In his memoir Spare, Harry recalls his mother driving him to tennis lessons, with photographers in pursuit “blasting through red lights”, and as a young boy asking: “Are they going to kill us, mummy? Are we going to die?”

Losing his mother has made him even more protective of his own young family. In a recent interview, he said: “I never want to be in that position… I don’t want history to repeat itself.”

That’s why security and protection has been such a big issue for Harry.

He has legal cases challenging the decisions surrounding the withdrawal of his automatic personal security. He also has three legal actions against the tabloid press as he attempts to “change the media landscape”.

He knows he’s not making any friends with the newspapers in doing so, but even he wouldn’t have expected a night out to end like this.

What happened on the streets of Manhattan, a world away from royal life, shows us two significant things.

Firstly, there remains a clamouring media interest in the couple, with paparazzi hunting and hounding them.

And secondly, perhaps more worryingly, they are prepared to do so whatever the risks.

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