Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who have been vocal about their desire for privacy, reportedly decided to pose for the cameras before the alleged paparazzi “chase” took place in New York City.

Sources tell the NY Post that the couple walked out in front of a throng of photographers after attending an awards ceremony at the Ziegfeld Theatre on Tuesday night.

Despite having one of Barack Obama’s former secret service agents, Chris Sanchez, on their security team, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex chose to ignore his expertise in keeping celebrities under the paparazzi’s radar.

The Post stated that they made this choice willingly, demonstrating the couple’s apparent love-hate relationship with the media.

After posing for the cameras, Harry and Meghan got into an SUV with Sanchez and drove off.

According to a source quoted by the Post, “Harry and Meghan were willing to give everyone those shots when they left the event, that was not the problem, but they were tailed from that point on.”

Their representative, Ashley Hansen, praised the pictures, calling them “some of the most beautiful images of the evening.”

However, some have criticized the couple for wanting both privacy and publicity.

This is not the first time the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have faced criticism for their attitude towards the media.

The pair has been vocal about the harassment they have received from the press, with Meghan Markle even suing a British tabloid for breach of privacy.

Despite this, they have also been known to use the media to their advantage, as demonstrated by their recent appearance at the Global Citizen Live concert in Central Park.

The events that followed the photo-op outside the Ziegfeld have been widely reported.

A group of paparazzi allegedly pursued Harry and Meghan through the streets of Manhattan in what the couple called a “near catastrophic car chase.”