- Kayla Epstein
- BBC News – New York
Suchcharn Singh, the taxi driver, told the BBC the couple rode with him from a point in midtown Manhattan that was guarded by special police.
The driver of the taxi, which the Duke and Duchess of Sussex rode for about 10 minutes on Tuesday night in New York City as they sought to get away from the paparazzi, said the couple were visibly nervous during the short trip.
Sukharn Singh told the BBC that Harry and Meghan rode with him from a courtyard guarded by private police in midtown Manhattan.
The couple’s spokesperson had announced in a previous statement that the couple had been subjected to “continuous stalking” that lasted for more than two hours by paparazzi.
However, Singh, who witnessed part of the incident, did not describe his driving as a dangerous chase by paparazzi.
“I was on 67th Street and then the security officer greeted me. Next thing you know, Prince Harry and his wife got into my car,” said Singh, who was wearing a blue shirt and spoke to reporters outside his family’s home in Queens.
He added, “A garbage truck stopped us, and suddenly press photographers appeared and started taking pictures.” Harry and Meghan were about to continue to their destination, when the security guard asked to return to the area.
“They were on edge, I think they’ve been chasing all day or something,” Singh said. “They were on edge, but the security officer took care of it.”
A spokesman for Harry and Meghan said in a statement that on Tuesday they were subjected to a “near-catastrophic car chase”. The New York Police Department confirmed the incident, and said that many photographers “made it difficult for Prince Harry and his wife, Megan, to move around.”
The couple were in New York for the Woman with a Vision Awards, accompanied by Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland.
The spokesman said that when they were chased after leaving the party, they tried to hide from the paparazzi by going to the Manhattan police station, and there they rode with Singh.
At least for the few minutes they were in Singh’s car, they didn’t think they were in any danger.
Harry and Meghan said paparazzi followed them after they attended an award ceremony
Commenting on the spokesman’s statement, Singh said, “I don’t think that’s true, I think it’s all over the top and stuff like that. Don’t read too much about it.”
He then added, “This must have happened before” getting into his taxi.
He continued, “New York City is the safest place. There are police stations, cops on every corner, and there is no reason to be afraid in New York.”
He said the paparazzi were not aggressive while he was driving.
“They were behind our car. I mean, they kept following us, it wasn’t much more than that. And they kept their distance,” he added.
Singh described Harry and Meghan as “nice people”.
Singh recalled: “At the end of the trip, they said, ‘Nice to meet you’, and[Harry]asked him his name. When they got out of the car, the security officer paid him for the trip.”
“It was great. Ten minutes drive, $50,” he said.
He added, “What do you ask for? You can’t resist that price!”
Was Singh a fan of famous riders? He didn’t feel particularly impressed.
“Keith Richards also rode with me. I always transport celebrities. I didn’t think much of it when they (Harry and Meghan) got in my car too,” Singh said.
Singh, after talking to reporters for a few minutes, got back into his yellow car and drove to Midtown To continue another long day of transporting passengers.
