‘Prince Harry car crash’ started trending after it was reported that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were left “extremely upset and shaken” after being involved in a “near-catastrophic” car chase involving the paparazzi on Tuesday night.

A spokesperson for the couple said: “Last night, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Ms. Ragland were involved in a near catastrophic car chase at the hands of a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi. This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers.”

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The statement also added that the couple understands that “being a public figure comes with a level of interest from the public, it should never come at the cost of anyone’s safety. Dissemination of these images, given the ways in which they were obtained, encourages a highly intrusive practice that is dangerous to all in involved.”

According to TMZ, The incident happened after Meghan was honored with an award at the Women of Vision Awards, held at the city’s Ziegfeld Ballroom. Prince Harry and Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, was also in attendance at the event. The trio left and got into an SUV and were given police protection but that is when the chase ensued.

Soon after, the term ‘Prince Harry car crash’ began trending on Twitter even though there was no car crash as such. Harry, Meghan, and her mother were, however, forced to abandon their SUV mid-chase and jump in a New York taxi. The police, on the other hand, tried to confuse the reporters by driving in the opposite direction that the trio.

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According to sources, the paparazzi were in blacked-out vehicles. They also were in a number of traffic violations including driving on the pavement, running red lights, and driving the wrong way on a one-way street.

After reports of the chase went viral on social media, many royal family who were aware that Prince Harry’s mother, Princess Diana was killed in a 1997 crash after paparazzi chased her car in Paris, expressed their concern over Harry’s safety.

Here are some of the reactions: