Prince Harry and Meghan Markle told 'Kate and William have put up with s**t' by furious friend

However, this has been challenged by the couple's taxi driver, who labelled their statement as "exaggerated"

The New York Police Department also confirmed that "there were no reported collisions, summonses, injuries or arrests" during the incident.

The Prince of Wales's friend said that he understands Harry's anger towards the paparazzi but branded the Duke's version of events as "hysterical".

Asked if Prince William would side with Prince Harry on the issue of invasive paparazzi, the friend said: "William and Catherine have put up with s**t like this in the past.

"Everyone understands his anger at the photographers, but making hysterical statements doesn’t help matters, especially when, as the Queen might have said, recollections may vary.”

A friend of King Charles has also shared an insight into the monarch's view on his son's statement.

The King's friend told The Daily Beast: "Charles will completely understand Harry being upset at being pursued by the paparazzi.

"He knows how scary it can be.

"But he has always tried to get Harry to understand that complaining about photographers or the media is pointless.

"It just makes it all worse."

On Wednesday, Prince Harry's spokesperson said the Sussexes had been relentlessly pursued by paparazzi.

They said: "Last night, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Ms Ragland were involved in a near-catastrophic car chase at the hands of a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi.

"This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers.

"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 involved."