Harry and Meghan demand 'chase' pics from paps, US agency burns them with snark

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle seem to be in no mood to let go of the New York paparazzi incident that they claim was a "near catastrophic" car chase. In the latest, Backgrid USA, a celebrity photo agency, has said that they received a letter from the Sussexes' legal team demanding they send all the photos and videos captured of the couple on the night of May 16 as they left the event at the Ziegfeld Ballroom.

Who said what:

• Backgrid, based in California, said they received a letter on May 18 from Harry and Meghan, which demanded they send them the footage of the alleged "chase" to check their own security.  

• However, Backgrid has come up with a scathing response to the demand saying that "In America" they aren't obliged to share their property with the "royal prerogative".

Harry and Meghan sent a letter to Backgrid (paprazzi photo agency) demanding they hand over pics from Tuesday.

The response from Backgrid's counsel is one for the books: pic.twitter.com/vvVZ2e7mUE

— Rob Freund (@RobertFreundLaw) May 18, 2023

So far, it is only Backgrid who reported receiving the letter from Harry and Meghan's team. It isn't known whether it is a legal notice. 

What happened:

• To recap, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's spokesperson claimed on Wednesday, May 17, that the couple along with Markle's mother Doria Ragland was relentlessly and dangerously pursued by the paparazzi after they left an event on the night of May 16. 
• The spokesperson for the Sussexes described the incident as a "near catastrophic" car chase that lasted for two hours and also involved "multiple near collisions".
• However, the NYPD made contradicting claims saying that there were no injuries, arrests, or collisions reported, but added that the incident was "challenging".

If anything happens to Harry and Meghan, these paparazzi and the owners of these Tabloids with king Charles and William, should be held responsible and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the Law. pic.twitter.com/QCPgNGeimy

— sussexopulence (@sussexopulence) May 17, 2023

• A taxi driver that drove the couple and Ragland for 10 minutes after they hopped into the car to lose the paps said he wouldn't describe the incident as a "chase". The driver also said he never felt unsafe at any point in time.
• Backgrid USA has responded to the allegations against their freelance photographers telling ET that they are investigating the claims. They also added that according to the photographers, there was no immediate danger to the couple at any point. 
• New York Post quoted an unnamed freelance photographer alleging that a black SUV from Prince Harry's security escort was in fact driving in a manner that can be perceived as reckless.
• Another unnamed photographer present at the scene told PEOPLE that the description by Prince Harry's team was "sensational" and a "crazy hyperbole". 

Prince Harry has often expressed his disdain for the paparazzi evoking the memories and fears of his mother, the late Princess Diana's death. He once described the paps as a "pack of dogs" who hounded his mother in a BBC documentary. Diana died in 1997 from injuries sustained in a car crash after being pursued by the paparazzi through the streets of Paris. 

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