Family Ties superstar Justine Bateman, 58, took it upon herself to put Meghan Markle, 43, and Prince Harry, 40, on full blast. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were out meeting LA fire victims and other helpers but this didn’t sit right with Bateman.
The Hollywood actress called the couple “disaster tourists” and claimed that their visit was merely a “photo op.”
RELATED STORIES
Bateman vented on X
A video of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex circled around on X (formerly Twitter) where they were talking to people at an evacuation center and consoling them.
Bateman shot them with a fiery response, saying: “Meghan Markle and Harry are no better than ambulance chasers. What a repulsive ‘photo op’ they achieved.”
She thinks they shouldn’t be here
Bateman continued in her post, saying: “They are ‘touring the damage‘? Are they politicians now? They don’t live here; they are tourists. Disaster Tourists. #PalisadesFire”
She is criticizing the fact that their residence is in Montecito, which is around 90 miles from LA, and yet they’re in Pasadena, out and about with volunteers and the city’s mayor, Victor Gordo.
Mayor Gordo was in awe
Mayor Gordo praised Prince Harry and Markle while talking to Fox 11, saying: “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,” he said.
The mayor also recalled a heartwarming situation
Mayor Gordo also recounted how Prince Harry grabbed a donut for one of the victims when they requested one. This person didn’t recognize Prince Harry and they told him: “If you ever run for anything, I’ll vote for you.”
What were they doing there?
The couple was handing out food parcels in the Pasadena Convention Centre which is being used as an evacuation center to the victims of the LA fires.
Additionally, they visited some of the burnt-out houses in Pasadena and Altadena. They also spoke to those who had been tragically affected by the fires.
The couple opened their arms and home to their loved ones
The couple announced prior to their Pasadena visit that their $29 million mansion in Montecito, California is open to their friends and loved ones who tragically lost their homes or had to evacuate from their places in the wake of the LA fires.
However, their house may not be safe
A spokesperson for Southern California Edison announced that Harry and Markle’s Montecito, California residence was in a “high-risk zone” as fires eat up the Los Angeles County. Furthermore, according to People, more than 100,000 residents have evacuated.
The fires show no mercy
The LA fires have claimed 24 lives and burned through almost 14,000 acres so far. The County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner revealed the fatalities without revealing their identities. Eight of them fell victim to the Palisades fire, and the other 16 to the Eaton fire.
A-listers face the heat, too
A handful of celebrities weren’t spared from the fires’ dooming hands. Leighton Meester and Miles Teller unfortunately lost their homes to the fires and many others, such as Paris Hilton and Bella Hadid, had to evacuate.
The LA fires have been likened to a “war scene,” which shows how bad the situation is.
Markle postpones her show’s release
Markle postponed the release date of her new Netflix show, With Love, Meghan, a day before Bateman attacked the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
In a statement released by Markle, she said: “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.”
