Royal | News - Prince Ricardo De La Cerda
Prince Harry will receive an increased police presence during his upcoming trip to New York, Express.co.uk has learned.
The New York Police Department, which is funded by the state’s taxpayers, has declared that they will increase protection efforts for when Harry next arrives in Manhattan, later this month.
The move comes after Prince Harry, 39, and Meghan Markle’s so-called “near catastrophic” paparazzi car chase through Manhattan in May 2023.
According to a letter submitted in the UK court case regarding the Duke’s security arrangements, NYPD determined that the paparazzi acted in a “reckless” manner when pursuing the royals.
While the Sussexes did not file any charges following their ordeal, the couple will now receive a heightened level of security during their future trips to the Big Apple which will include later this month when Harry is in town.
The New York Police Department said it will be “enhancing the security resources afforded to the Duke and Duchess on future visits to the city,” the NYPD intelligence chief wrote to London’s Metropolitan Police.
In May 2023, Harry and Meghan, 43, found themselves at the centre of a high-speed chase after leaving the Ziegfeld Theatre in Midtown Manhattan with Markle’s mother, Doria Ragland.
The trio were followed by paparazzi who were unable to get any pictures of the famous couple as they left the venue.
A representative for the Sussexes claimed they “were involved in a near catastrophic car chase at the hands of a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi.”
Prince Harry is set to make a solo appearance at the Diana Award event in New York later this month.
The Duke will be in Manhattan to advance a number of his patronages and philanthropic initiatives. His trip is set to take place during UN General Assembly High-level Week and Climate Week, the latter of which runs from September 22 until September 29.
Meanwhile, avoiding an event which would have placed him in the city at the same time, the Prince of Wales, 42, has decided against appearing at the Earthshot Innovation Summit scheduled to take place at the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan on September 24 and will likely send a video message instead.