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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Visit L.A. Wildfire Victims

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Visit Los Angeles Wildfire Victims
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for W+P)

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have rolled up their sleeves to help out those affected by the wildfires that ravaged parts of Los Angeles.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited the World Central Kitchen in Pasadena, California on Friday, January 10.

Us Weekly understands Harry, 40, and Meghan, 43, volunteered to hand out food and supplies to people affected by the Eaton Fire.

During their visit, the couple witnessed harrowing stories from victims, but also strong community spirit as they offered their support. The Duke and Duchess also took time to connect with elderly individuals and families affected by the crisis inside the Pasadena Convention Center.

Meghan Markle, Prince Harry Open Montecito Home to Friends Amid L.A. Fires

As well as serving meals alongside World Central Kitchen (WCK) volunteers outside the venue, Harry and Meghan donated clothing, children’s items, and other essential supplies to the main donation center, Us understands.

Monetary donations have also been made to relief, recovery and rebuild efforts via their charity organization, the Archwell Foundation.

Harry and Meghan also joined Jennifer Siebel Newsom, California’s First Partner, and Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo, in personally thanking first responders, including Fire Chief Marrone and his team from the LA County Fire Department as well as Members of CalFire and the Pasadena Police Force at the Rose Bowl.

As part of their volunteering efforts, Harry and Meghan met with World Central Kitchen founder José Andrés at the charity’s food stations and thanked the teams for the hard work involved  in supporting the community in its time of need.

It comes after Meghan and Harry opened their Montecito, California home this week to friends who were evacuated as fires blazed across parts of Los Angeles including the Pacific Palisades area, Malibu, Santa Monica and the Hollywood Hills.

Meghan and Harry live in Montecito with their children Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 3. Their home is around 80 miles north of the Pacific Palisades area in LA, where the fires first broke out on Tuesday, January 7.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Are 'Casually House Hunting' in Malibu

While it is not known which of the couple’s friends have made use of the home, thousands of people had been forced to flee their homes due to the wildfires. Among the celebrities affected by the fires were Mandy Moore, Paris Hilton, Spencer Pratt and Milo Ventimiglia, whose homes all went up in flames.

The couple has dedicated a page on their official website to the wildfires, sharing information about resources and organizations taking part in the relief effort.

The couple first moved to California from the UK in 2020 during the pandemic. After initially staying on Vancouver Island, Canada, they then spent several months at Tyler Perry’s Los Angeles home before buying their own home in California.

Check the LAFD website for local wildfire alerts and click here for resources on how to help those affected.

Dennis Quaid Gets Emotional as He Reveals ‘Many Friends Have Lost’ Their Homes in Los Angeles Fires: ‘What Do You Do?'

“We’re fighting as hard as we can to save our city," the actor said in an interview after being evacuated from his home in Brentwood, California

Kate Beckinsale Says Seeing Her Stepfather Die ‘Will Haunt’ Her ‘Forever’

Kate Beckinsale Says Seeing Her Stepfather Die will Haunt Her Forever
Kate Beckinsale. (Photo by Taylor Hill/WireImage)

Kate Beckinsale has marked the one-year anniversary of her stepfather’s death with a candid and emotional post, detailing what it was like to watch him as well as her father die.

The actress shared a photo of her late stepfather, Roy Battersy, via her Instagram account on Friday, January 10.  In the image, Roy is seen wearing a novelty shirt that reads, “World’s best farter. I mean father” and is smiling while  holding a bouquet of flowers.

“Finding my father‘s dead body alone in the middle of the night at the age of five shaped my entire life. Seeing my beloved stepfather die a year ago today will haunt me forever,” Beckinsale, 51, wrote in the lengthy tribute. “It does seem terribly careless to have managed to be present for both deaths and unable to prevent either, the second time trying with every single thing I had. It was not enough.”

The Canary Black actress reflected on her grief and sense of loss surrounding Battersy’s death, who passed away in Los Angeles in January 2024 following “a brief illness.”

Kate Beckinsale’s Stepfather Roy Battersby Dead at 87

“In the process of losing my beloved Roy I lost family, friendships , at some points my own health, and all the money I had due to how disgusting the American healthcare system is for those who are not insured. I would do it again. No question.I cannot help feeling that I dreadfully failed,” she wrote

Beckinsale went on to explain that she is leaning on what she can to “console” herself, telling herself that Battersy was prepared for the end of his life and was “at peace with it.”

“It does feel like a lie I am telling myself to try and feel better, however. Perhaps I am just unfortunately not enlightened enough to sell that to myself over my sense of loss, guilt and failure,” she admitted.

The one-year anniversary of Battersy’s death was a difficult pill to swallow, according to Beckinsale.

BAFTA Addresses Kate Beckinsale's Criticism Over Stepfather's Tribute

“It is a tough day to talk about our fledgling and precious tragedy,but given that I couldn’t save him, I’ll be damned if I’m not going to honour him in some small way,” she continued. “He taught me how to be brave. He taught me that it doesn’t matter if people don’t like you as long as you’re doing the right thing, he lost everything fighting for justice for the trade unions, for the Palestinians in the ‘70s,living with them in refugee camps in Lebanon for several years making his 1977 documentary “The Palestinian”, fighting for the miners losing everything in the strikes.”

She concluded, “I am so lucky that I was raised by someone who uncompromisingly knew what was right and lived it. And loved me .Thank you for being my father. I miss you so much.”

TJ Holmes and Amy Robach Defend David Muir After Clothespin Backlash 

TJ Holmes and Amy Robach Defend David Muir Say He Doesnt Deserve the Hate
T.J. Holmes, Amy Robach and David Muir Getty Images (2)

TJ Holmes and Amy Robach are defending David Muir after he received widespread backlash for using a clothespin on his flame-retardant jacket while reporting on the Los Angeles wildfires.

Holmes, 47, and Robach, 51, who previously worked with Muir at ABC, gave their perspective on the incident during the Friday, January 10 episode of their podcast, “Does This Make Me Look Fat?”

Muir, 51, came under fire when viewers spotted the clothespin cinching his jacket during a live cross on Wednesday, January 8 and accused him of caring more about how he looked on TV than the natural disaster he was reporting on.

Holmes defended Muir against that accusation, claiming the news anchor may not even have been aware of the existence of the clothespins.

Fans Are Divided Over David Muir Tailoring His Coat For Wildfires Report

“The perspective might be missing if you’re just reading tweets. The perspective might be missing in that, often times — and I don’t know if he does — travel with a producer or even a wardrobe person whose job is — you might be looking at your phone, getting the latest, looking at notes or doing something, and people are pulling and plugging things onto you, the mic and the IFB [in-ear monitor] and all these things,” Holmes explained. “You don’t even know what’s happening to you, and someone could’ve made the decision of ‘Let me do this with the jacket.’ We don’t know.”

Holmes said that despite the use of clothespins, he believed Muir is incredibly hard-working.

He continued: “But just a little context, the guy works his butt off. You don’t like what he did, fine. It’s just a lot to be piling on.”

However, Holmes conceded it did look bad for a TV journalist to be caught worrying about superficial aspects when reporting on an event where people have lost their lives and homes.

David Muir Ditches Jacket Clothespin During Coverage of LA Wildfires 2
David Muir ABC

“The idea that people — even if the midst of a tragedy — about to anchor a main evening broadcast wouldn’t give a damn about how they look is just unreasonable. Now to what degree should they care is the issue and to what degree should they come off like they’re caring is then a separate issue, but of course he has to care and pay attention to how he looks before he goes on TV,” Holmes said. “But if your house was on fire and you see a guy over there with a mirror brushing his hair doing all this before he goes on the air and reports about your tragedy, that’s going to piss you off.”

Meanwhile, Robach admitted that when she was reporting from the road, she usually made a concerted effort to not appear too “glamorous” for this reason by keeping her hair and make up simple.

David Muir Ditches Jacket Clothespin During Coverage of L.A. Wildfires

“I have taken great care as a journalist to not seem as though I’m concerned about how I look in that moment,” she said. “We all look different on the scene of these sorts of tragedies than we do on the set. On the set, we’ve got hair and makeup and nice suits and fitted clothing, but when you’re out there, it’s just a very different environment.”

Robach also defended Muir against the heated backlash he’s been receiving and said she doesn’t believe he deserves it.

“I don’t think he deserves the hate he’s getting… I don’t think that is fair or appropriate in any way — and especially from people who’ve never had to be on television every day where your image, your looks are constantly being critiqued or acknowledged so you might have a hyper-awareness about that,” she said.

Check the LAFD website for local wildfire alerts and click here for resources on how to help those affected.

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