Family Ties star Justine Bateman calls Meghan Markle and Prince Harry ‘disaster tourists’ and says their appearance at the food bank to meet Los Angeles fire victims was a ‘photo op’

Justine Bateman has slammed Meghan Markle and Prince Harry as “disaster tourists” after they showed up as volunteers during the Los Angeles wildfires.

The 58-year-old Hollywood actress took to Twitter to attack the couple after they were seen in footage wearing civilian clothes and talking to the victims and other helpers.

The former serving royals were seen in a video at the evacuation center – just hours before the death toll in the fires was confirmed to have risen to 24.

“Meghan Markle and Harry are no better than ambulance chasers,” Bateman wrote online.

What a disgusting “photo op” they have achieved. And they are “scouring the damage”? Are they politicians now?

“They don’t live here; They are tourists. Disaster tourists.

Video captured by Fox 11 Los Angeles showed Harry and Meghan in Pasadena on Friday, mingling with volunteers and the city’s mayor, Victor Gordo.

But the couple were keen to offer any support they could, according to the mayor, saying they were “great people” with “great personalities”.

They really lifted the morale of first responders. “We visited the command center at the Rose Bowl and people were very happy to see them,” Gordo added.

Meghan Markle was seen comforting victims and first responders at an evacuation center on Friday amid the ongoing fires in Los Angeles

Meghan Markle speaks with Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo, center, and Doug Goodwin, whose home was destroyed by the Eaton Fire, in Altadena

Fire near Mandeville Canyon on January 11

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex distributed food parcels to those affected by the devastating fires at the Pasadena Convention Center Which is being used as an evacuation center.

The couple were also seen hugging José Andrés, founder of World Central Kitchen, which is handing out free hot meals to the public and emergency crews in the wake of the bushfires.

The interaction was broadcast live on FOX LA, where news anchor Susan Hirasuna was later criticized online for calling Meghan “Princess Markle.”

She also received criticism for saying that Meghan was “hanging out with the general public.”

It comes after the couple opened the doors to their $29 million mansion in Montecito, which is about 90 miles from Los Angeles, to their friends and loved ones who had to evacuate from the ongoing wildfires.

Speaking to FOX LA, Mayor Gordo said: “They (Harry and Meghan) want to be as helpful as possible, and they just want to be supportive.”

He added that the couple visited some of the burned homes in Pasadena and Altadena and spoke to those who lost their homes.

Meghan Markle, described by a Fox Los Angeles anchor as Princess Markle, was seen condoling wildfire victims at the Pasadena Convention Center on Friday.

Meghan and Harry were photographed with other volunteers after helping victims of the Los Angeles wildfires

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were distributing food parcels to those affected by the devastating fires at the Pasadena Convention Center, which is being used as an evacuation center.

“They took the time to meet with the people affected and spend time. They are just very caring people who are very concerned for their friends and neighbors,” Gordo said.

The fires that swept through the city killed 24 people and burned nearly 14,000 acres.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner published a list of deaths without providing details about their identities. Eight of the dead were found in the Palisades Fire area and 16 in the Eaton Fire area, the document said.

Nearly 4,000 to 5,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed, including the homes of Hollywood stars.

US President Joe Biden frighteningly predicted that the death toll would rise after describing the terrifying situation as “resembling a war scene.”

Bateman’s public criticism comes after Meghan revealed yesterday that she was pushing the release date of her new Netflix show, With Love, Meghan, due to the ongoing wildfire crisis in Los Angeles.

The program was scheduled to be released on January 15, but has now been postponed to March 4.

“I am grateful to my partners at Netflix for supporting me in delaying the launch, as we focus on the needs of those affected,” said a statement issued by the Duchess of Sussex on Sunday, three days before the series was scheduled to premiere. Due to forest fires in California.

Flames engulf a building during the Eaton Fire in Pasadena on January 7

Meghan was seen comforting World Central Kitchen founder Jose Andres during their appearance at the Pasadena Convention Center on Friday.

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle speak with Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo

Meghan Markle has postponed the release of her new Netflix show to March 4 due to the wildfires in Los Angeles

With Love, Meghan is said to include a tribute to the royal family’s California-based state and her personal connections to it.

PR experts recently questioned the timing of the release of Meghan’s cooking show on Netflix and said it had to be postponed amid the bushfires.

They suggested it was now broadcast as “insensitive”, “tone-cold” and causing a backlash against the royal couple.

UK brand and culture expert Nick Eddy MailOnline said: ‘I think Netflix bosses will have to make some big decisions like airing With Love, Meghan next week.’

“With the show focusing on life in California, Los Angeles and Montecito, and offering a glimpse into aspirational and inspiring lives, I suspect it will be pulled from its current schedule and delayed for at least a few months.”

A description of the series on the Tudum website reads: “Produced with love by Megan, Megan mixes practical guidance with candid conversation with friends, new and old.”

Megan shares personal tips and tricks, puts fun over perfection, and highlights how easy it is to create beauty, even in the unexpected.

“She and her guests roll up their sleeves in the kitchen, garden, and beyond, and invite you to do the same.”