When they quit the Royal Family, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle hoped to carve out an independent, ‘progressive’ role for themselves that combined philanthropy and media production to champion causes closest to their hearts.
Six years on, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been recognised for their charity and advocacy efforts, including receiving the award for Humanitarians of the Year and the prestigious Robert F Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope award.
However, their journey to reconcile their celebrity and royal statuses have not been without stumbling blocks.
Experts have suggested the worst misstep may have been when they were photographed hugging victims of the catastrophic Los Angeles wildfires that ripped through the city last January.
The hellish blaze that began on January 7, 2025, tore through the City of Angeles, killing 31 people and destroying thousands of homes as entire neighbourhoods were reduced to rubble.
Days later, the former royals were filmed distributing food packets, hugging victims and speaking to local volunteers and emergency responders at the Pasadena Community Centre in what became a widely criticised visit.
The couple were branded ‘disaster tourists’ and ‘ambulance chasers’ by Hollywood actress Justine Bateman, after footage showed Harry and Meghan at the evacuation centre alongside local mayor Victor Gordo.
Harry and Meghan, who is a LA native, later hit back at the ‘offensive’ claim they were after a photo opportunity, with a source suggesting they were volunteering ‘long before the media caught wind of their involvement’ in a defiant statement.
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Harry and Meghan were branded ‘disaster tourists’ and ‘ambulance chasers’ by Hollywood actress Justine Bateman, after footage showed the couple hugging victims of the hellish wildfires at an evacuation centre in Pasadena
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had been handing out food parcels to those affected by the devastating fires at the Pasadena Convention Centre that was being used as an evacuation centre.
The couple were also spotted hugging José Andrés, the founder of World Central Kitchen, which was distributing free hot meals to the public and emergency crews in the wake of the fires.
The interaction was broadcast live on FOX LA, sparking backlash from royal fans and experts as well as Ms Bateman, best known for her role as Mallory Keaton on the hit 80s sitcom Family Ties.
Ms Bateman, 58, posted a scathing statement on X that read: ‘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.’
The Sussexes, who live around 90 miles away from the city, later hit back at Ms Bateman’s statement in a rebuttal issued to Page Six.
An insider close to the couple told the outlet that they found the actress’s comments ‘offensive’, adding Los Angeles ‘is, and always will be, home to’ the Duchess.
‘It’s offensive to Meghan and Harry that anybody would think this is merely a photo opportunity,’ they said. ‘Meghan was born and raised in Los Angeles so this is, and always will be, home to her.’
Speaking on the Daily Mail’s podcast Palace Confidential, Royal Editor Rebecca English said the backlash against Harry and Meghan ‘touring’ the site while homeowners and residents were still coming to terms with their terrible loss was ‘understandable’.
Did Harry and Meghan’s wildfire visit help those in need or was it all about their public image?
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Prince Harry and Meghan were photographed alongside Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo (right) days after the blaze broke out
The wildfires tore through the City of Angeles, killing 31 people and destroying thousands of homes as entire neighbourhoods were reduced to rubble
‘Photographs of them with the local mayor, touring some of the devastation zone and going around and seeing these houses that have been burned to the ground, has attracted a lot of ire – and that I understand,’ she explained.
‘People haven’t been able to go back to their homes yet to see if there’s anything left to salvage of their lives, so to see Harry and Meghan effectively being given a tour of the area has stuck in a lot of people’s craw.’
The Mail on Sunday’s Editor-at-Large, Charlotte Griffiths felt that Harry and Meghan ended up ‘drawing attention to themselves’ and that Ms Bateman’s criticism of the couple was ‘harsh but fair’.
‘What their power is is drawing attention to issues, and there could not be more attention, rightly, on this LA wildfire. It’s not like we needed them to draw attention to a subtle issue to do with health or mental health,’ she said.
‘So it felt like they were drawing attention to themselves.’
Analysing their visit to the evacuation hub, body language expert Judi James told The Mirror that Harry and Meghan’s approach made them appear as the ‘US version’ of the royals.
In the wake of the LA wildfires, Harry and Meghan rallied around victims by making donations to relief efforts through their Archewell Foundation and opened up their $14.5million Montecito mansion to loved ones who were forced to evacuate.
The Sussexes also urged people to ‘check in’ on disabled and elderly neighbours in a message posted on their website, while Meghan postponed the release of her Netflix series, With Love, Meghan.
The interaction was broadcast live on FOX LA, sparking backlash from royal fans and experts as well as Justine Bateman, best known for her role as Mallory Keaton on the hit 80s sitcom Family Ties
Pushing the premiere back from January 15 to March 4, Meghan said she wanted to keep the ‘focus on the needs of those impacted by the wildfires in my home state of California’.
Despite the backlash for being ‘disaster tourists’, Meghan later visited the Altadena Girls Fire Recovery Fund, set up by 14-year-old Avery Colvert after it was revealed the Sussexes’ Archewell Foundation had donated to the organisation.
Avery, who set up the not-for-profit to support teenage girls impacted by the wildfires, later described Meghan as being ‘very kind’ in an interview with Marie Claire.
She recalled how the Duchess brought ‘bags of clothing from her own closet’ and even ‘got stylist training’ so she could help the young girls pick the most flattering outfits from the piles of donations Altadena Girls received.
‘For all the girls that were coming in, they got to be styled by Meghan Markle,’ she continued, adding that some people were so overwhelmed by the Duchess’s presence at her fair that they ‘just completely broke down’.
Pasadena mayor Victor Gordo also praised the Sussexes after their divisive visit to the community centre, adding they ‘really buoyed the spirits of the first responders’.
Speaking to FOX LA, Mayor Gordo said: ‘They (Harry and Meghan) want to be as helpful as they can be and really they just want to be supportive.’
He added that the couple visited some of the burnt-out houses in Pasadena and Altadena and spoke to those who had lost their homes.
‘They took the time to meet the people who were affected and spend time. They are just very caring people who are very concerned for their friends and neighbours,’ Mr Gordo said.
