Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s visit to the scene of the Los Angeles wildfires left some calling them “disaster tourists,” while others defended the couple.
The Duchess of Sussex postponed the release of her Netflix show With Love, Meghan on Sunday after inspecting the rubble of homes ravaged by fire on Friday.
Meghan hugged a woman affected by the disaster as the pair wore dust masks to help protect them from the aftermath of the blaze.
Chris Jackson/Getty Images for the Invictus Games Foundation
They appeared to be welcomed with open arms on the ground, but the conversation on social media took a more negative turn as actor and filmmaker Justine Bateman wrote on X: “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. #PalisadesFire.”
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. #PalisadesFire https://t.co/Kv6v6jSX4y
— Justine Bateman (@JustineBateman) January 12, 2025
Why It Matters
Family Ties star Bateman’s post was one of a number criticizing the couple and went viral after being viewed 1.8 million times and liked 33k times.
She sits outside the usual crop of Harry and Meghan critics who routinely bash the couple after their public appearances and has separately been a guest on TV news shows discussing the fires.
What to Know
It was not all criticism, though, as some spoke up to defend Harry and Meghan, arguing Prince William and Princess Kate have also tried to help in times of crisis in the past.
Afua Hagan, a U.K. based royal commentator, told Newsweek: “It’s typical. It’s more of the same. The motto of Archewell is ‘show up and do good’ and that’s what they did and they’re panned for it.
“The Prince and Princess of Wales have gone to many a food bank, many a soup kitchen doing the same, showing up and doing good, but only Harry and Meghan seem to get the criticism for it.”
One regular fan posted a photo of Kate helping out at a baby bank during the Covid-19 pandemic and wrote on X: “Why is the photo on the left [of Kate] praised while the one on the right [of Meghan] is deemed attention seeking?”
Meghan and Harry have also opened their $14 million dollar Montecito mansion to friends who have been forced to evacuate.
@cbsnews
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle paid a visit to Los Angeles wildfire evacuees in Pasadena Friday evening. Harry and Meghan were spotted embracing World Central Kitchen’s Chef José Andrés, who has been helping feed families displaced by California’s Wildfires. The royal show of support at the Pasadena Convention Center follows news that the couple opened their Montecito home to friends and family who had been forced to evacuate due to the fires. #wildfire #losangeles #california
♬ original sound – cbsnews
The couple were filmed by TV crews with José Andrés, founder of World Central Kitchen, as the non-profit helped with the disaster response. Andrés at one stage also gave both Meghan and Harry a hug.
The couple also separately put on face masks to enter the fire-ravaged rubble of a home in Eaton alongside Victor Gordo, the mayor of Pasadena.
Echoes of Meghan and Harry’s Uvalde Visit
This is not the first time Harry and Meghan have been accused of PR stunts at times of crisis.
A similar broadside followed their visit to Uvalde, in Texas, after 21 people were killed in the Robb Elementary School shooting in May 2022.
There were criticisms on social media though her own brother, Thomas Markle Jr., also waded into the controversy.
“Its totally wrong what she’s done,” he told GB News. “It’s the most insensitive, inconsiderate thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”
What People Are Saying
Meghan Markle announced that With Love, Meghan had been postponed in a statement: “I’m thankful to my partners at Netflix for supporting me in delaying the launch, as we focus on the needs of those impacted by the wildfires in my home state of California.”
Filmmaker Justine Bateman wrote on X: “Meghan Markle and Harry are no better than ambulance chasers.”
Afua Hagan, a U.K.-based royal commentator, told Newsweek: “Let me tell you, if Harry and Meghan hadn’t been seen doing anything we would be having a conversation about, ‘where are Harry and Meghan, they live in California, why haven’t they done anything?'”
Conservative political commentator Jack Posobiec: “Imagine losing everything in a fire and then have to put up with Meghan Markle on top of it.”
What Happens Next
Netflix confirmed her TV show’s new release date in an article on its Tudum news site: “At the request of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and with the full support of Netflix, the release of the show — a heartfelt tribute to the beauty of Southern California — has been moved from its previously announced January premiere date to March 4, due to the ongoing devastation caused by the Los Angeles wildfires.”
Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on X, formerly Twitter, at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek’s The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about Charles and Camilla, William and Kate, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We’d love to hear from you.
