Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ask paparazzi to hand over photos

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have hit back at their attempts to get the photo agency involved in the alleged pursuit to give them their photos.

Backgrid rejected the couple’s demands after the incident in New York on Tuesday night, telling them that Americans “rejected royal prerogative a long time ago.”

The letter, which the celebrity photography agency said it received Thursday from the couple’s legal team, reportedly read: “We hereby demand that Backgrid promptly provide us with copies of any photos, videos and/or films taken by the freelance photographers last night. are made. after the couple leaves their event and in the following hours.”

But Backgrid said it had replied in a letter of its own to the Duke and Duchess’ lawyers: “In America, as I am sure you know, property belongs to its owner: third parties cannot simply demand that it be preserved.” given to them, as kings might do.

“Perhaps you should sit down with your client and tell them that his English rules of royal prerogative to require the citizens to hand over their property to the Crown have long since been rejected by this country. We stand by our founding fathers.”

It comes after what the pair described as a “near catastrophic” chase following their attendance at the Ms Foundation For Women’s 50th anniversary gala event.

In a statement on Wednesday, a spokesperson for Harry and Meghan said the couple and Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland were “engaged in a near catastrophic car chase at the hands of a group of very aggressive paparazzi.”

He added, “This relentless pursuit, which lasted more than two hours, resulted in multiple near misses involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers.”

It followed Harry and Meghan’s first appearance at a public event together since the Duchess missed King Charles III’s coronation in London on May 6.

Paparazzi deny there were any near misses, while the New York Police Department said “numerous photographers” made the couple’s journey “challenging,” but there were “no reports of collisions, subpoenas, injuries or arrests.”

Meghan arrives for the 50th anniversary gala event of the Ms Foundation For Women on Tuesday

Back in the UK, Harry seeks permission from the High Court to get a judicial review of a decision that he should not pay privately for his protective security.

And a friend of the couple told i newspaper that the pair believe the New York incident is proof that they should be able to privately pay for police protection.

The friend said: “This is clear evidence that Harry and Meghan are in a different category than other celebrity couples and attract a lot more attention.

“For them to be banned by the UK government from paying for expert police protection is just a ridiculous situation and Harry is clearly confident he will quash this in court.”

But a senior Interior Ministry source also told the paper that the government was confident the New York incident would not affect its case.

The Duke and Duchess leave New York’s Ziegfeld Ballroom on Tuesday after the event

Meanwhile the Daily telegram reported last night that King Charles III has had no contact with Harry since the incident.

Harry and Meghan are said to be frustrated by both the lack of contact and the lack of public acknowledgment or comment from Buckingham Palace.

MailOnline contacted the palace this afternoon to confirm whether Charles has already contacted the Sussexes, but officials declined to comment.

During an interview with the BBC at the G7 summit in Japan, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak appeared to dismiss the New York incident, saying, “Cars in New York are not really my priority or my responsibility.

“My priority and responsibility is the safety of people’s homes.”