Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, and Meghan's mother Doria Ragland were involved in a “near-catastrophic car chase” as they were leaving a New York event on Tuesday (May 16). A source per Page Six has revealed why the paparazzi car chase happened.

According to the source, Harry and Meghan were “too cheap” to pay for a hotel room in the Big Apple.

“Harry and Meghan’s people called the Carlyle ahead of the trip and asked for a discounted room, and the hotel said no,” the source said.

“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.”

A New York City law enforcement source told the outlet: “They should have just gotten a hotel for the safety of everyone. Instead, they were cheap and wanted a free place to stay.”

The couple then decided that they would stay with a friend on the Upper East Side, the tabloid reports.

Harry and Meghan have stayed at the Carlyle in the past and were last seen there in 2021. Rooms are $1,240 and suites are up to $6,000 a night. Harry's late mother Princess Diana was a frequent visitor of the hotel and stayed at the 1,800-square-foot Royal Suite on the 22nd floor which is now $8,000 a night.

A statement was put out on behalf of Harry, Meghan, and Doria following the incident.

“This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD (New York Police Department) officers,” the statement continued. “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. Dissemination of these images, given the ways in which they were obtained, encourages a highly intrusive practice that is dangerous to all in involved.”

Harry has been vocal about how much he dislikes paparazzi, which he explained in his January memoir Spare. The Duke of Sussex also has been open about his fear of having “history repeating itself,” in the aspect of Meghan being treated harshly in the press like his mother Diana.

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