<p id=”par-1_41″>It’s been said that “no good deed goes unpunished” and that may be the case for <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/prince-harry/?swcfpc=1″>Prince Harry</a> and <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/meghan-markle/?swcfpc=1″>Meghan Markle</a> after the couple made headlines for touring areas of Los Angeles County that have been ravaged by several wildfires. </p>
<p id=”par-2_28″>The former working royals were photographed on Jan. 10 at the Pasadena Convention Center with Mayor Victor M. Gordo where they spoke with residents who lost everything. </p>
<p id=”par-3_39″>When news broke that the prince and <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/meghan-markle-getting-residual-checks-suits-surprise-streaming-success.html/?swcfpc=1″>former <em>Suits</em> star</a>, who live about 90 miles away in <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/prince-harry-meghans-montecito-neighbor-reveals-duchess-isnt-popular-community.html/?swcfpc=1″>Montecito</a>, were in town to “survey the damage” their critics came out in full force. But now the Sussexes are responding to the backlash.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-prince-harry-and-meghan-dubbed-disaster-tourists-by-actor”>Prince Harry and Meghan dubbed ‘disaster tourists’ by actor</h2>
<p id=”par-4_34″>Because everything Meghan and Harry do is analyzed and dissected, there was an immediate reaction and some on social media were disgusted about the coverage the Sussexes got for visiting the evacuation center. </p>
<p id=”par-5_53″><em>Family Ties</em> alum Justine Bateman was one the first people to publicly criticize the pair on X calling them “disaster tourists” and likening them to “ambulance chasers” only showing up at the site to “achieve a repulsive photo op.” And about their “tour of the damage” the actor asked: “Are they politicians now?”</p>
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<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” data-width=”550″ data-dnt=”true”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>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. <br>Disaster Tourists. <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/PalisadesFire?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#PalisadesFire</a> <a href=”https://t.co/Kv6v6jSX4y”>https://t.co/Kv6v6jSX4y</a></p>— Justine Bateman (@JustineBateman) <a href=”https://twitter.com/JustineBateman/status/1878277401404141859?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>January 12, 2025</a></blockquote><script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>
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<p id=”par-6_20″>But it wasn’t just Bateman, several commentators agreed with her assessment including <em>To Di for Daily</em> podcast host Kinsey Schofield.</p>
<p id=”par-7_42″>After some compared what Harry and Meghan did to what Prince William and the Princess of Wales (<a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/dont-be-fooled-this-is-what-kate-middleton-was-really-like-in-school.html/”>formerly known as Kate Middleton</a>) have done in the U.K. following disasters, Schofield had a message for Sussexes about their “morbid” LA fire tour. </p>
<p id=”par-8_25″>During an episode of <em><a href=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fc_SUqN2mNk” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Kinsey Schofield Unfiltered</a></em>, she reminded everyone that the U.S. doesn’t have royals and argued: “Our ashes are not your royal engagement.”</p>
<p id=”par-9_64″>Schofield explained that there were plenty of other ways Meghan and Harry could have helped without being “in the way” and jumping in front of a camera which took focus off the victims of the tragedy, adding: “Inserting yourself at ground zero and rubbernecking amongst someone else’s devastation, it’s turned a lot of people off … To some [what they did] seems entirely self-serving.”</p>
<p id=”par-10_75″>Commentator Megyn Kelly also took aim at the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for their visit <a href=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DM9GL8s2mIk” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>during her show</a> insisting that they went to Pasadena for only reason was “to get their faces back on camera to improve their image. They want people to think well of them … They made sure they got on camera. They made sure their names got in the press and that was the name of the game [for them].”</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-the-sussexes-find-the-criticism-they-have-received-offensive”>The Sussexes find the criticism they have received ‘offensive’</h2>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-2″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Prince-Harry-and-Meghan-Markle-visit-a-local-farming-family-in-Dubbo-Australia-1.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Prince Harry and Meghan Markle visit a local farming family in Dubbo, Australia” class=”wp-image-3762640″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Prince Harry and Meghan Markle visit a local farming family in Dubbo, Australia | Chris Jackson – Pool/Getty Images</figcaption></figure>
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<p id=”par-11_25″>However, a source close to the duke and duchess don’t think the criticism they have received is fair or warranted and have fired back. </p>
<p id=”par-12_40″>The source responded telling <a href=”https://pagesix.com/2025/01/13/royal-family/prince-harry-meghan-markle-find-justine-batemans-disaster-tourist-claim-offensive/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Page Six</a>: “It’s offensive to Meghan and Harry that anybody would think this is merely a photo opportunity. Meghan was born and raised in Los Angeles so this is, and always will be, home to her.”</p>
<p id=”par-13_35″>The insider added therefore Meghan is “not just a tourist” and “her heart is completely broken for all the lives that have been lost and for those whose homes have been destroyed in these fires.”</p>
<p id=”par-14_40″>The source went on to say that the Sussexes have “invested significant time and resources. They have donated money and essential items” and “they have also dedicated countless hours to volunteering, long before the media even caught wind of their involvement.”</p>