Prince Harry, Meghan to appear together for first time since ‘near catastrophic car chase’
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have set their first public appearance since their “near catastrophic car chase” in New York.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be out together next month to host the Invictus Games in Düsseldorf, Germany.
The event will start on Sept. 8 — just a day after the first year anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s death.
The sports games will continue on Sept. 9 and will run through the 16th.
On the final day of the games, Markle, 41, will host an “emotional” farewell show for families and competitors, according to the German publication Rheinische Post.
Harry, 38, will then give a closing speech.
The bash will be the first time that the royal couple has appeared together since May, when they attended the Women in Vision Awards in New York and claimed they were involved in a frightening “near catastrophic car chase.”
The duo and Markle’s mother, Doria Ragland were allegedly chased by paparazzi in the Big Apple after leaving the awards show in an SUV around 10 p.m.
But just moments later, they jumped into a yellow taxi in hopes of evading the photographers.
“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,” their rep said in a statement. “This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers. While being a public figure comes with a level of interest from the public, it should never come at the cost of anyone’s safety.”
However, the New York Police Department released a statement regarding the couple’s claims, saying they “assisted the private security team protecting the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.”
“There were numerous photographers that made their transport challenging,” a police official said. “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived at their destination, and there were no reported collisions, summonses, injuries or arrests in regard.”
The Invictus Games was created in 2014 by Harry as a multi-sport event for wounded servicemen and women and is styled after the Paralympics.
The former actress and the ex-military man made their first joint public appearance together when they were still dating in September 2017 at the games. Markle had stopped by the matches’ opening ceremony in Toronto, Canada.
Just a day later, the pair were seen holding hands at a wheelchair tennis tournament.
Markle and Harry got married in May 2018 at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.
Before she tied the knot with her husband, the former actress starred on the USA Network legal drama “Suits” and had a lifestyle blog called “The Tig.”
“The Tig” was founded in 2014 and is named after the former actress’ favorite red wine, Tignanello.
It covered topics such as food, recipes, travel, culture, conscious living, health and wellness.
The website was shut down in April 2017 and the mother of two penned a farewell note.
“After close to three beautiful years on this adventure with you, it’s time to say goodbye to The Tig,” she wrote.
“What began as a passion project (my little engine that could) evolved into an amazing community of inspiration, support, fun and frivolity. You’ve made my days brighter and filled this experience with so much joy,” Markle added.
“Keep finding those Tig moments of discovery, keep laughing and taking risks, and keep being ‘the change you wish to see in the world.’ Above all, don’t ever forget your worth – as I’ve told you time and time again: you, my sweet friend, you are enough,” she concluded her memo. “Thank you for everything.”
