NEW YORK — Prince Harry and his wife Meghan were involved in a car chase while being followed by photographers following a charity event in New York, the couple’s office said Wednesday.

The pair, together with Meghan’s mother, were followed for more than two hours by a half-dozen vehicles with blacked out windows after leaving the event.

Their office said in a statement that the chase “resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers.” It called the incident “near catastrophic.”

“While being a public figure comes with a level of interest from the public, it should never come at the cost of anyone’s safety,” the statement from the couple said.

Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, died in a car crash in 1997 while being pursued by paparazzi in Paris.