Prince Harry has been forced to address a rumour that he has a secret hotel room he uses to "escape" his wife Meghan Markle.
The claim appeared in UK tabloid newspaper The Sun over the weekend, with sources allegedly claiming the Duke of Sussex had a private room "set aside" in a luxury hotel near his family home in Montecito, California.
The sources also claimed Harry would head to San Vicente Bungalows, a private members club in Los Angeles that offered strict rules to protect its guests.
However, a representative for the Duke told US outlet Page Six the allegations in the report were "not true".
The site also revealed the lengths the Bungalows would go to to protect its clients, saying it will "reportedly place stickers over phone cameras of guests upon entering". It also added that "guests are reportedly prohibited from discussing what they see inside the exclusive club. They are also banned from approaching other guests inside the clubhouse".
The issue of Prince Harry's privacy has reared its head yet again after it was reported on Thursday (NZ time) the couple had been involved in a "near catastrophic" car chase with paparazzi after leaving an event in New York.
The altercation involving the royals and Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, became public on Wednesday after the couple's spokesperson released a statement denouncing a "relentless pursuit" resulting "in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers".
Statements from the New York Police Department, the city's Mayor and a law enforcement source confirmed the outlines of the couple's account of what happened after they left the Ms Foundation’s Women of Vision Awards, where Meghan was being honoured.
However, the reports were conflicted, with the couple's taxi driver saying he never once "felt in danger" as he drove the trio home.
On Friday (US time), a US photo agency revealed it had refused to hand over pictures and video of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex taken in New York on Tuesday night during what the royal couple called a "near catastrophic" car chase by "a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi".
Backgrid USA told CNN on Friday it had responded to a letter from the Sussexes' legal team, saying the copyrighted material belonged to the agency and the couple have no rights to it.
