Britain's Prince Harry, his wife Meghan and her mother were involved in a "near catastrophic car chase" involving paparazzi photographers, a spokesperson for the prince said on Wednesday.

It occurred after the couple had attended an awards ceremony held in New York by the Ms. Foundation for Women, where Meghan was honoured for her work.

Pictures that have appeared on social media have shown Harry, Meghan and her mother, Doria Ragland, in a taxi.

"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," the spokesperson said in a statement.

"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."

Harry and Meghan stepped down from their royal roles in 2020 and moved to the United States partly because of what they described as intense media harassment.

The prince has long spoken out about his anger about press intrusion which he blames for the death of his mother Princess Diana, who was killed when her limousine crashed as it sped away from chasing paparazzi in Paris.