Prince Harry, Meghan Markle's Car Chase A 'Byproduct' Of Being In Public Domain: Security Expert

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's recent car chase in New York City emphasized their need for better security, according to a royal security expert.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex recently made headlines after they claimed they were involved in a "near catastrophic" car chase with "highly aggressive paparazzi" in Manhattan on May 16 after leaving the Women of Vision Awards, where Markle was among the honorees.

Richard Aitch, author of "Close Protection," recently weighed in on the incident, telling Us Weekly that while he does "pity" the royal couple, being followed by paparazzi was a "byproduct of being out there in the public domain."

"If security is an issue for you, then you need to ensure that that security is balanced, well-trained and afforded in the right, proper way," he said. "At the moment, all of this reaction, unbalanced response to the paparazzi, is only enticing the chances of a situation that could be terrible for both the couple and others as well."

The director of operations for Mobius International Security also shared his thoughts on Prince Harry losing his bid to personally pay for protection for his family while in the U.K.

A U.K. high court judge ruled Tuesday that the Duke of Sussex, who lost his taxpayer-funded police security after stepping back from royal duties in 2020, would not be permitted to pay for private security for his family when they visit his home country.

The security expert claimed that the decision was "totally wrong," telling the outlet that it was "just absolutely ridiculous and completely mind-baffling."

While he agreed that U.K. taxpayers should not have to pay for the Sussexes' security, Aitch said he believes Prince Harry has the right as a prominent member of the British royal family to hire some form of security "regardless of whether he serves the crown or not."

He suggested that Prince Harry and Markle should "have security in the U.S. commercial private sector provision of security," but that their security should be overseen by "a U.K. Met police officer to ensure that standards are being delivered, and also to have that access of intelligence flows, as well, from the U.K. intelligence agencies."

"The concern here is the fact that you have a high-profile couple within the public limelight with severe public interest in them," the expert said. "And the paparazzi will do anything to gain their photos or follow them to confirm locations they're visiting, who they're meeting with to create that story that's needed in the media. And of course, it very much becomes a state of cat and mouse."

While Prince Harry and Markle's spokesperson said the couple's May 16 car chase with paparazzi was "near catastrophic," some were not convinced, with "The View" host Whoopi Goldberg claiming that a high-speed car chase is unlikely to happen in the Big Apple.

But the Sussexes' publicist Ashley Hansen recently slammed the speculation that the couple exaggerated the events surrounding the pursuit to gain publicity.

"Respectfully, considering the duke's family history, one would have to think nothing of the couple or anybody associated with them to believe this was any sort of PR stunt," Hansen said in a statement to Page Six. "Quite frankly, I think that's abhorrent."