Megyn Kelly pooh-poohs Harry and Meghan’s “near catastrophic” paparazzi car chase

"This woman hasn't seen a paparazzi she wants to avoid," Kelly says of Markle specifically

By Kelly McClure

Nights & Weekends Editor

Published May 17, 2023 5:36PM (EDT)

Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle and Duke of Sussex Prince Harry attend a ceremony for the Ms. Foundation in New York on May 16, 2023.  (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle and Duke of Sussex Prince Harry attend a ceremony for the Ms. Foundation in New York on May 16, 2023. (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle — formally known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex —  were pursued by photographers in New York on Tuesday night in what's being referred to as a "near catastrophic car chase."

The royals were stateside to attend the Ms. Foundation's Women of Vision annual gala at the Ziegfeld Ballroom, during which Markle was honored by Gloria Steinem for her, "global advocacy to empower and advocate on behalf of women and girls," according to Good Morning America. Markle's mother, Doria Ragland, was also in attendance and was with the duke and duchess after the festivities as they are said to have circled the city fleeing numerous cars driven by paparazzi for over two hours — a time frame that is now being widely disputed by members of the press and witnesses at the scene.

On Wednesday's episode of "The Megyn Kelly Show" on SiriusXM, Kelly weighed in on the alleged chain of events as recounted by Harry, Meghan and their representatives — expressing doubt and throwing shade.

"Meghan Markle and Prince Harry say that they were in a 'near catastrophic car chase,' . . . what does that mean? Near catastrophic is what we all have every time we look down to change the radio while driving our cars," the conservative journalist jabbed.

After reading news briefs of the chase, giving stink-eye the whole way through, Kelly remarks on the couple's request for aggregates to avoid using paparazzi photos from the incident saying,  "Sorry, you two, but you're in America now. And in America the press has the right to photograph you when you're in a public place."

For many, the news of Prince Harry being involved in such a paparazzi-instigated situation as what reportedly took place harkens back to the one that led to the tragic death of his mother, Princess Diana, in 1997 — and while this is a similarity not lost on Kelly, it does little to soften her opinion on the matter.


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"Most of us who are public figures go through something like this multiple times, and we don't run to our PR agents and have them release a statement playing the victim," Kelly says. 

Focusing attention on Markle specifically, Kelly later says, "This woman hasn't seen a paparazzi she wants to avoid. Who are we kidding?"

Watch a clip from "The Megyn Kelly Show" below:


By Kelly McClure

Kelly McClure is Salon's Nights and Weekends Editor covering daily news, politics and culture. Her work has been featured in Vulture, The A.V. Club, Vanity Fair, Cosmopolitan, Nylon, Vice, and elsewhere. She is the author of Something is Always Happening Somewhere.

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