
Royal couple and Southern California citizens Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are showing their support to the community, currently battling one of the worst wildfires in its history. On Friday, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were seen visiting World Central Kitchen in Pasadena, Calif., to help distribute food and supplies to victims of the Eaton Fire.
There, the couple served meals alongside volunteers, donated supplies, and chatted with survivors displaced from their homes. Markle offered some comforting hugs to some of the people she talked to, while Harry reportedly hung out with elderly evacuees who had no idea who he was.
Accompanied by Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo and Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the wife of California Governor Gavin Newsom, the pair also went to thank the first responders and relief teams who have worked tirelessly to aid those impacted.
“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,” Gordo told local news outlets. “It’s very important.”
Gordo added that the Duke and Duchess’ visit “really buoyed the spirits of the first responders.”
“They want to be as helpful as they can be … we visited with some of the affected families in some of the burned-out areas in Pasadena and Altadena,” Gordo said. “They took the time to meet the people that are affected and spent time. They’re just very caring people who are concerned for their friends and neighbors.”
Later, the couple met with the World Kitchen founder José Andrés to jointly thank the volunteers. Through their Archewell Foundation, Harry and Meghan have been longtime supporters of the organization.
In the wake of the wildfires, Meghan has also postponed her upcoming Netflix show, With Love, Meghan – originally slated for January 15 premiere – to March. The Suits star personally requested the move to “focus on the needs of those impacted by the wildfires in my home state of California.”
To date, the Eaton Fire has devastated over 15,000 acres of land and claimed 16 lives, with damages expected to rise as firefighters are still struggling to contain the fire.