Duke and Duchess of Sussex demand agency hand over photos from alleged chase

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex have reportedly demanded a photo agency hand over all images taken during an alleged car chase on Tuesday night.

The British royals announced on Wednesday that they and Meghan's mother Doria Ragland had been involved in a "near catastrophic car chase" with "a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi" in New York City after they attended a gala event on Tuesday night.

Officials at Backgrid, a picture agency based in California, said on Thursday that they received a legal demand from the couple's lawyers asking them to provide the snaps and footage taken by their photographers during the alleged incident.

Backgrid told the BBC and TMZ that the letter stated: "We hereby demand that Backgrid immediately provide us with copies of all photos, videos, and/or films taken last night by the freelance photographers after the couple left their event and over the next several hours."

Backgrid's lawyers rejected the request by reportedly writing in a letter, "In America, as I'm sure you know, property belongs to the owner of it: third parties cannot just demand it be given to them, as perhaps kings can do.

"Perhaps you should sit down with your client and advise them that his English rules of royal prerogative to demand that the citizenry hand over their property to the crown were rejected by this country long ago. We stand by our founding fathers."

Backgrid also denied that its four photographers - three in cars and one on a bike - behaved aggressively while following the royals, insisting they "had no intention of causing any distress or harm".

Harry, Meghan and Doria were in the Big Apple on Tuesday as the former Suits actress was honoured with the Women of Vision Award at the Ms. Foundation for Women's 50th anniversary event.