A letter from the NYPD entered in a UK court case by Prince Harry and Megan Markle claims that arrests could soon be made in the dangerous paparazzi chase they were involved in last year — but sources tell The Post there is not sufficient evidence to charge anyone.
A British court, as part of its decision to deny the Prince state-funded security, cited a formal letter from the NYPD to London’s Metropolitan Police that said wild paparazzi had been “reckless” and “persistently dangerous” in their pursuit of the Sussexes through Manhattan last May.
But NYPD sources told The Post that the case has been thoroughly probed by both the force and the Manhattan DA, and no charges are likely to be filed.
And while the probe found “reckless,” “unacceptable” behavior by paparazzi — Harry and Megan’s security contributed to the conditions by not adhering to an NYPD proposed stop, police sources said.
“[The Sussex’s ] reluctance to go to the planned stop, with paparazzi, was a contributing factor. Harry has been insistent someone be arrested — that requires evidence which we don’t have at this time,” said another source, referencing how the NYPD and royals conferred during that incident about a planned destination where cops could control the traffic flow.
The official letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police of London in September, by the NYPD as part of the London High Court’s consideration of a lawsuit Prince Harry filed against the British government, demanding that he receive the kind of tax-funded police protection while in the UK that he was stripped of after leaving the royal family in 2020.
“We found the following: reckless disregard of vehicle and traffic laws and persistently dangerous and unacceptable behavior on the part of the paparazzi during the night in question,” the letter allegedly read.
However, a subsequent letter also entered into the filing — which sources say was sent in error by law enforcement officials to Harry and Meghan’s security detail — created confusion by suggesting two suspects had been identified and could face arrest for reckless endangerment over the high-speed chase.
“The individuals [paparazzi] operated vehicles, scooters, and bicycles in a manner that forced the security team, which included an NYPD Lead Car, to take evasive actions on several occasions and a circuitous route to avoid being struck by pursuing vehicles or trapped on side blocks,” it continued, noting there was “sufficient evidence” to arrest two people for reckless endangerment.
On Wednesday the High Court declined to award Harry the security he wanted, but the inclusion of the letter — produced by Harry’s own lawyer, according to the Daily Beast — seemed to provide a silver lining of vindication for the royals.
That vindication has proven to be short-lived, however, and could instead back the ridicule the royal couple faced after the incident.
Their claims of an hour-long “near-catastrophic,” “relentless pursuit” by “a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi” after they left the Women of Vision Awards gala on the night of May 16 were laughed off by the media and New Yorkers alike, many of whom doubted the physical possibility of such a chase in the cramped and gridlocked city streets.
“I think people in New York know if it was possible to have car chases in New York, we’d all make it to the theater on time,” Whoopie Goldberg quipped on the “The View,” adding the couple’s claims cut their “credibility in half.”
“I thought they were leaving the royal family for a quieter life. If flashbulbs give Harry flashbacks, I don’t understand why he is going to award ceremonies,” an anonymous friend of the royal family said at the time.
Representatives for the Sussexes did not respond to requests for inquiry at the time of publication.