Harry and Meghan car chase 'wouldn't have happened if they stayed in a hotel': NYPD source

A source has claimed Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's "car chase" wouldn't have occurred if they had stayed at a hotel, revealing the real reason why they evaded the paparazzi.

A source from the New York City Police Department (NYPD) alleges the couple wanted to stay at The Carlyle Hotel in New York, but turned away once the manager refused to give them a discount, instead deciding to stay at a friend's house on the Upper East Side.

"Harry and Meghan's people called The Carlyle ahead of the trip and asked for a discounted room, and the hotel said no," they told Page Six.

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Police sources say part of the reason why they were evading the paparazzi was because they didn't want to give away the location of their friend's house where they were staying for the duration of the New York trip.

"They should have just gotten a hotel for the safety of everyone. Instead, they were cheap and wanted a free place to stay," the source commented.

"If they had just paid up and got a hotel in the first place, this supposed 'dangerous' paparazzi chase around town would never have happened.

"They would have been driven back to The Carlyle, been photographed going inside and that would have been the end of it."

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Harry, Meghan, her mother Doria Ragland, and a security detail were involved in a "relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours", resulting in "multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers", as described in a statement their team released.

The incident occurred following Meghan being honoured by Gloria Steinem at the Ms. Foundation Women of Vision Awards, held at New York's Ziegfeld Ballroom on May 16, winning an award for her advocacy empowering women.

However, the NYPD later reported that while they assisted the couple that night, and there were "numerous photographers that made their transport challenging ...The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived at their destination and there were no reported collisions, summonses, injuries, or arrests in regard."