Just one week after Meghan Markle sparked global controversy by claiming they were involved in a "near-catastrophic" car chase with Prince Harry, she chose to skip last night's prestigious "women in the media" awards ceremony, despite being honored by the podcast Archetypes. The 41-year-old Duchess of Sussex, who flew to New York to accept the 'Women of Vision' award in person last week, chose not to attend the Gracie Awards held in Los Angeles on Tuesday evening, despite making a statement. She expresses her 'honor' to be selected as this year's winner for Best Entertainment Podcast Presenter. "I would like to thank the Alliance Foundation for Women in Media for this prestigious honor," Meghan said in March after her winner was announced. "This is a shared achievement for the team behind Archetypes, who are mostly women, and for the inspiring guests who join me every week." A week after Meghan Markle appeared at a similar event in New York, she chose to skip a 'women in the media' awards event in Los Angeles last night, despite being honored by the Archetypes podcast. The Duchess of Sussex, 41, chose not to appear at the Gracie Awards, where she won the best Entertainment Podcast Presenter award a week after she and Prince Harry got into an argument over their alleged involvement in a 'near-catastrophic' incident. car chase It was unclear whether Meghan was planning to attend the awards gala, and an insider of the event told DailyMail that organizers were unsure if she would be arriving hours before the event kicks off. "[The organizers] have no clue whether he's putting on a last-minute show or even making an appearance [through] the video," the source said on Tuesday. Held at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, about 90 minutes' drive from the $14.65 million Montecito home she shares with Prince Harry, the Gracie Awards Gala is held annually to celebrate "outstanding individual achievement and programming by, for, and about women." at the national level', the website states. It's unknown why Meghan chose not to attend the Gracie Awards - but the event came exactly one week after she and Prince Harry flew to New York for a similar gala, where the Duchess of Sussex received a 'woman with vision' award. person. At that event, Meghan took the stage to give a speech and took the podium to the tune of Alicia Keys' hit song Girl on Fire, and then retell a story about enjoying TV dinners and episodes of Jeopardy! she when she was a schoolgirl. But the evening took a turn after the event ended - when Harry and Meghan, accompanied by his mother, Doria Ragland, claimed they were involved in what their spokespersons called a 'near-disastrous' car chase with the paparazzi. An official statement released on behalf of the couple the day after the incident claimed that the Sussexes and Meghan's mother were the victims of "a relentless pursuit that lasted more than two hours". "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Miss Ragland were involved in an almost catastrophic car chase at the hands of a highly aggressive paparazzi gang," the statement said. The Gracie Awards are held annually and celebrate 'outstanding individual achievement and programming by, for, and about women at the national level' Many celebrities attended this year's ceremony, including Bachelor star Rachel Lindsay and Real Housewives' Heather Dubrow . "This relentless pursuit, which lasted more than two hours, resulted in multiple close collisions involving other road users, pedestrians and two NYPD officers." "While being a prominent figure brings with it a certain level of public interest, it should never be at the expense of anyone's safety." However, the couple's claims have been questioned, with several conflicting reports emerging about what really happened. The couple were "shocked" by the response to their statements, according to US Weekly, and a source added that the couple "insisted that their statements about the car chase were absolutely not exaggerated" and that the Sussexes believed it was "very hurtful and extreme". line ... for people to say otherwise'. Interestingly – although she did not attend the Meghan Gracie Awards – an insider noted that the couple would not 'stay out of sight' at future public events and 'won't be afraid to show their faces'. “[This] strengthened their determination to continue to stand up for themselves and to raise their voices when they feel they have been wronged,” The Outlet continued. The ceremony was held exactly one week after Meghan and Harry flew to New York to attend the Women of Vision awards - after which they said they were the victims of a car chase. The couple's statement about the car chase came under intense scrutiny last week, and multiple officials spoke out to question their memories of the incident. Julian Phillips, the deputy commissioner for public information in New York, said the NYPD had "aided" the couple's private security team - but said the behavior of "numerous" photographers had been "challenging", while the couple had "reached their destination, and any reported collisions related to it," There were no summons, injuries or arrests.' New York Mayor Eric Adams empathized and called the actions of the paparazzi "reckless" and "irresponsible", but added that it was "hard to believe" it was a "two-hour high-speed chase". New York police officials also told NBC that they did not believe the case was 'near catastrophic' but believed it was a 'slightly chaotic scene'. ABC also reported that it spoke to several police sources who admitted the experience could have been "scary" for those involved, but said the media presence was "not the kind of caravan described by sources close to Harry and Meghan". Others have questioned why the couple and their security team chose to embark on a one hour and fifteen minute 'cat and mouse' ride across Manhattan, apparently stopping at a police station at least twice and randomly stopping a New York taxi driver. to take them home. Gotopnews.com