In the face of criticism following their alleged "nearly catastrophic" car chase in New York City, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle express surprise and stand firm on their account of the incident, according to Page Six.

An anonymous insider relayed to Us Weekly that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex felt bewildered and hurt by the reactions from the public who doubted the gravity of their experience.

"They insist their account of the car chase was absolutely not exaggerated, and for people to say otherwise is so hurtful and out of line," the unnamed source revealed.

Following their attendance at the Women of Vision Awards, the royal couple released a statement describing a two-hour-long ordeal involving an "aggressive paparazzi" chase in NYC. This account stirred skepticism among observers, including Whoopi Goldberg, who argued the improbability of a car chase in the crowded streets of the Big Apple.

However, the source asserted that the Sussexes remain resolute in their stance, undeterred by attempts to invalidate their narrative.

"As far as staying out of sight and being scared to show their faces, that's not going to happen," the insider maintained. "[This has] just strengthened their resolve to keep standing up for themselves and speaking out when they feel wronged."

The couple's publicist, Ashley Hansen, joined the fray earlier this week, vehemently dismissing allegations of the incident being a calculated PR stunt.

"Respectfully, considering the duke's family history, one would have to think nothing of the couple or anybody associated with them to believe this was any sort of PR stunt," Hansen contended, as quoted by Page Six. "Quite frankly, I think that's abhorrent."

Paul Burrell, Princess Diana's former butler, however, opined that parallels drawn between the recent incident and the tragedy in Paris leading to Princess Diana's demise are unjustified, labeling the former as a "total exaggeration."

"Diana was actually avoiding the press, the night she died. Meghan and Harry were courting the press on the night that they had their car chased in Manhattan," Burrell suggested during an interview on "GB News."

Despite his support for the royal family, Burrell expressed difficulty in reconciling with the details put forth by Harry's spokesperson regarding the alleged "near catastrophic" car chase and the "relentless pursuit" for two hours, terming the account as potentially inflated.