David R. Martin/AP
New York City cab driver Sukhcharn Singh poses for a photo with his taxi in the Queens borough of New York, Wednesday, May 17, 2023. Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, were pursued in their car by photographers after a charity event in New York, Tuesday evening May 16, 2023.
The New York City taxi driver who drove the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for about 10 minutes as they tried to shrug off photographers has said the couple were obviously nervous during the short journey.
Sukhcharn Singh, who goes by Sonny, told the BBC he picked the couple up at a local police precinct in Midtown Manhattan.
Harry and Meghan’s spokesperson has said in a statement that the couple endured a “relentless pursuit” that lasted for more than two hours.
But Singh said his drive was a dangerous chase by paparazzi.
He spoke to reporters outside his family’s home in Queens.
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“I was on 67th Street and then the security guard hailed me. Next thing you know, Prince Harry and his wife were hopping into my cab,” he said.
“We got blocked by a garbage truck, and all of a sudden paparazzi came and started taking pictures.”
Harry and Meghan were going to divulge their destination when the security guard made the decision to return to the police precinct.
“They looked nervous, I think they were being chased the whole day or something,” Singh said. “They were pretty nervous, but the security guard, he was on it.”
New York police confirmed the incident and said many photographers “made their transport challenging” – however, there there were no reported collisions or injuries.
One of the paparazzi drivers reportedly involved in the car chase has said it was “very tense” trying to keep up with their vehicle.
Speaking anonymously to ITV’s Good Morning Britain on Thursday, the driver said: “They did a lot of blocking and there was a lot of different types of manoeuvres to stop what was happening.”
He added: “If it was dangerous and catastrophic, it was more than likely based on the person that was driving.”
Photo agency Backgrid USA said it received photos of the event from photographers, “three of whom were in cars and one of whom was riding a bicycle”.
The agency said it would be conducting an investigation, however, “there were no near-collisions or near-crashes during this incident”.
The couple were in New York attending an awards ceremony – the Ms Foundation Women of Vision Awards – along with Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland.
For at least the few minutes they were in Singh’s car, the driver did not believe they were in danger.
“I don’t think that’s true, I think that’s all exaggerated and stuff like that. Don’t read too much into that.
“[The paparazzi] hey were behind us. I mean, they stayed on top of us, that was pretty much it, it was nothing more. They kept their distance.”
Singh said Harry and Meghan were “nice people”.
“At the end of the trip, they say, ‘Oh nice meeting you’,” and asked his name, Singh said. As his passengers disembarked, the security guard paid and tipped him for the ride.
“It was great. Ten-minute drive, $50,” he said. “What can you ask for? You can’t beat that.”