As shown by the recent court hearing in London, Prince Harry still isn’t getting support from the British government for his ongoing demands that he and his wife, Meghan Markle, receive automatic police security when they visit his home country — even though they no longer have any formal role in the British royal family.

But the British prince has apparently done a better job in pressuring officials in New York City to provide him and his wife with beefed-up police protection when they visit the city, after he alleged a police “cover-up” over their claims that aggressive paparazzi forced them into a “near catastrophic car chase” in Manhattan in May 2023, as the Daily Mail reported last year.

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The beefed-up protection was on full, “over-the-top” display Thursday night when Meghan rolled up to a Broadway show in a four-vehicle motorcade — which included an escort of NYPD officers, according to Page Six and the Daily Beast. 

Meghan’s SUV motorcade, called “excessive” by observers, made a 1½-mile journey from the Polo Bar, Ralph Lauren’s upscale restaurant, to the Majestic Theater in Times Square, where the Duchess of Sussex and lifestyle influencer took in a Broadway revival of “Gypsy,” the Daily Beast said. Page Six added that the motorcade included an unmarked NYPD vehicle with two intelligence detectives inside, while a uniformed police officer was spotted by Meghan’s side.

A paparazzi source told Page Six that the duchess’ security measures, compared with other visiting celebrities, were “absolutely abnormal, totally over-the-top and excessive.”

“Taylor (Swift) usually has two cars — her car that she’s in and a security car with her team,” the source said. “And if she’s going somewhere, she has a separate car on-site with her team already there, but they don’t travel together.”

But the NYPD escort in the motorcade appeared to be the result of a pledge the department made last year to provide the couple with additional police security when they visit the city, following their dramatic run-in with paparazzi in 2023, according to the Daily Beast and the New York Post.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 16: Woman of Vision Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex speaks onstage during the Ms. Foundation Women of Vision Awards: Celebrating Generations of Progress & Power at Ziegfeld Ballroom on May 16, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images Ms. Foundation for Women) 

With the couple’s description of a “relentless” pursuit through the streets of Manhattan, they seemed eager to evoke memories of Princess Diana’s 1997 death in a Paris car crash. They said they were followed by “highly aggressive paparazzi,” who caused multiple near collisions with other drivers, pedestrians and two NYPD officers. Representatives said the pursuit began after they left a Midtown theater where Meghan received a Ms. Foundation for Women of Vision Award.

But the couple’s dangerous car chase claims were met with skepticism from New Yorkers, including form Mayor Eric Adams, who doubted that it was possible for a two-hour, high-speed car chase to take place in the usually near-gridlocked streets of Manhattan. A photo also emerged of the couple and Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, stuck in traffic in the back of a yellow cab, with Meghan smiling and Harry taking photos with his phone.

In the immediate aftermath of the incident, NYPD officials described a less dramatic ordeal than what the Sussexes asserted, saying that they received no 911 calls or reports of collisions related to the chase. Police sources at the time also said that Harry and Meghan’s security team contributed to the situation by not adhering to NYPD recommendations.

Harry’s lawyers have nonetheless tried to use the Manhattan incident as an example of the security risks the son of King Charles III faces when he goes out in public anywhere in the world. Harry, who made a previously unannounced visit to war-torn Ukraine last week, is pressing the U.K. courts to restore his ability to receive automatic police protection whenever he is on British soil.

The British government revoked the police protection for Harry and Meghan when they left the royal family and relocated to the United States. Now living in California and pursuing careers in media and philanthropy, they no longer represent the king or the British government in any kind of official or diplomatic capacity. On the few occasions that the couple have visited the U.K., they have received a “bespoke” package of Metropolitan police security on a case-by-case basis — and they have to give 28 days’ notice of plans to travel to Britain to use it, the Daily Beast reported

Emails obtained by the Daily Mail late last year through a Freedom of Information request show that Harry’s team repeatedly pressed New York City police officials about the car chase. The emails show that the duke immediately demanded that NYPD arrest the paparazzi involved. He also threatened to make an official complaint and even alleged that he felt “intentionally misled” and was “suspicious of a cover-up,” the Daily Mail reported.

Harry moreover asked California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a well-known ally, for a contact with prosecutors in New York, and vowed to take the matter higher if necessary, the emails show, according to the Daily Mail. 

Harry’s lawyers submitted communications with NYPD officials as part of evidence in his U.K. court case. Last year, London’s High Court denied Harry’s demand for automatic police protection, saying that the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (RAVEC) was justified in making its decision and not influenced “by unfairness.”

LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 09: Prince Harry leaves the Royal Courts of Justice on April 09, 2025 in London, England. Prince Harry arrived in the UK on Tuesday to attend court for his appeal against the reduction of his security detail during family visits. On Tuesday, the Court of Appeal heard his case, challenging a High Court ruling that upheld the decision to evaluate his security arrangements for UK visits on a case-by-case basis.(Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) 

Harry has appealed this ruling, which is why he was sitting in a Court of Appeal hearing earlier last week, where his attorneys argued that RAVEC had failed to undertake a sufficient risk analysis and subjected the duke to “different, unjustified and inferior treatment” than other royal family members, the Daily Beast reported. Harry told The Telegraph last week that he was “exhausted” and “overwhelmed” by this protracted legal battle, which has lasted more than three years.

In the meantime, though, the British prince has somewhat succeeded in getting his way in New York City. While the NYPD did not arrest anyone in the car chase, as Harry demanded, he did see John Hart, the department’s chief of intelligence, send a letter to British police, acknowledging that the actions of the paparazzi in Manhattan had been “reckless” and “persistently dangerous.”

In light of this “security incident,” Hart consequently made police in London aware, going forward, “of certain changes to the security posture that will be afforded to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.” Hart didn’t detail what those changes would be, but his statement could help explain the NYPD’s presence in Meghan’s multi-vehicle motorcade last Thursday night.

While NYPD officials didn’t respond to Page Six’s request for comment about its officers’ presence in Meghan’s entourage, a source told the outlet that it’s not that unheard for a celebrity to utilize NYPD services when they go out and about around the city. Most stars don’t, but their security team could ask for protection if necessary.

“It’s something that can be made available based on the threat assessment and the circumstances of where they’re going and what they’re doing,” the source told Page Six.