Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, the Duchess and Duke of Sussex, were hit with bizarre backlash from critics who branded them "disaster tourists" despite anonymously volunteering and donating money to aid the victims of the deadly Los Angeles wildfires.
Firefighters in Ventura County worked to contain a new brush fire in the Santa Clara River bottom today as powerful Santa Ana winds raised the risk of additional blazes across Southern California, currently facing some of the worst fires in the state's history.
The strongest gusts of this latest wind event were forecast for Tuesday night, prompting Los Angeles County officials to urge residents to brace for potential power outages and prepare for possible evacuations.
The dire forecast follows a devastating week of high winds and dry conditions that fueled wildfires across the region, leaving at least 24 people dead and around two dozen still missing. The blazes have displaced more than 100,000 people, with entire neighborhoods reduced to ashes.
Given that Markle was born and raised and currently lives in Los Angeles, it's only natural that she would want to help out; she and Prince Harry have already made donations to disaster relief via the Archewell Foundation and have opened up their Montecito home to loved ones who've been forced to evacuate.
Additionally, Fox 11 Los Angeles filmed the couple at the Pasadena evacuation site, a visit that was praised by Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo, who said "it's great people, great personalities and great heart for them to come out here and meet with the first responders, meet with the people who were affected."
Though the Duchess and Duke have been seen helping out, Gordo clarified they did not come out for "publicity" and had earlier helped out "anonymously." In fact, he added, people did not know "they were serving food with masks."
You can see the footage below.
- YouTubewww.youtube.com
But even though Markle and Prince Harry have largely kept their efforts on the downlow, they've nonetheless faced criticism, including from filmmaker and former Family Ties actor Justine Bateman, who called their actions "repulsive" and referred to them as "disaster tourists" in a post on X.
Falsely asserting that they don't live in Los Angeles, she wrote:
"Meghan Markle and Harry are no better than ambulance chasers. What a repulsive "photo op" they achieved. They are "touring the damage"? Are they politicians now? They don't live here; they are tourists. Disaster Tourists."
You can see her post below.
Others also piled on.
But other people were quick to defend the couple's actions.
This isn't Markle's first time helping fire victims, either.
In the wake of the tragic Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, a group of survivors came together at the Al Manaar Centre in West London to cook meals for their families and neighbors. This initiative soon evolved into the Hubb Community Kitchen.
In September 2018, Markle lent her support to the project as her first solo royal endeavor, playing a key role in helping the organization launch a charity cookbook titled Together.
Over the years, Markle has maintained her connection with the group. For instance, in 2020, on the third anniversary of the fire—which killed 72 people and sparked intensive fire and structural safety reviews in the UK—she joined the women for a video call from her home in California.
During the conversation, she expressed her admiration, telling the members that she and Prince Harry are "so proud" of their efforts.
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