Los Angeles, May 17 (IANS): Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and her mother Doria Ragland were involved in a "near catastrophic" car chase after being followed by paparazzi, their spokesperson has revealed to 'Variety'.

The chase, reminiscent of the one that killed Harry's mother, Princess Diana, and the then Harrods scion Dodi Fayed in Paris in 1997, took place after the couple had attended an awards ceremony in New York on Tuesday night.

The spokesperson, according to 'Variety', said in a statement: "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."

The spokesperson added: "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."

Harry and Meghan were attending the Ms. Foundation for Women's 2023 Women of Vision Awards. The event honoured Meghan.