Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were among hundreds of Southern Californians who were motivated to help evacuees from the Eaton Fire earlier today.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who live north of Los Angeles in the affluent town of Montecito and previously opened their home to loved ones displaced by the wildfires, were seen at the Pasadena Convention Center, which has since been turned into an evacuation site for displaced people. who were forced to leave their homes.
As Fox 11 reported, the couple met with Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo and worked with chef Jose Andres — whose nonprofit World Central Kitchen provides food relief to Angelenos — to distribute meals and supplies to those affected. (The couple’s Archewell Foundation has a long-standing relationship with WCK, contributing to relief in countries such as India and the Caribbean island nation of Dominica.)
per Previous reportsMarkle and Prince Harry also focused on reaching out to affected families and thanking first responders.
“It’s great people, great personalities, great heart to come here and meet the first responders, meet the people affected,” Gordo told Fox 11 about the meeting. “It’s very important.”
According to the mayor, the two were aiming to contribute discreetly and were previously present at the center of relief efforts coming out of the city’s Rose Bowl. He said that Markle and Prince Harry served food “anonymously,” noting that “no one knew that they were serving food with masks.”
“They want to be as helpful as possible,” Gordo added. “We visited some affected families in some of the burned areas in Pasadena and Altadena.” They took the time to meet the people affected and spent time. They are just very caring people who care about their friends and neighbors. (Markle was born in Canoga Park, just east of the Kenneth Fire, which is currently 35% contained.)
As previously reported, Markle and Prince Harry are among other high-profile figures doing their part amid the state’s ongoing state of emergency, which includes a host of fires — the most devastating being Palisades (more than 20,000 acres, 8% contained) and Eaton (more than 20,000 acres, 8% contained) 14,000 acres, 3% contained fires. Currently, 180,000 people remain displaced, more than 9,000 buildings have been destroyed and at least 10 people have been confirmed dead.
