Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were among the hundreds of Southern Californians spurred to help evacuees of 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 up their home to loved ones displaced by the wildfires, were spotted at the Pasadena Convention Center, which has since turned into an evacuation site for those forced to leave their homes.
As reported by Fox 11, the couple met with Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo and worked with chef José Andrés — whose nonprofit World Central Kitchen pop-ups are providing food relief to Angelenos — to distribute meals and supplies to those impacted. (The couple’s Archewell Foundation has longstanding ties with WCK, contributing relief in countries like India and the Caribbean island nation of Dominica.)
Per previous reporting, Markle and Prince Harry were also focused on connecting with affected families and thanking first responders.
Gordo told Fox 11 of the meeting: “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. It’s very important.”
According to the mayor, the two were aiming to discreetly contribute and were previously present at the hub of relief efforts coming out of the Rose Bowl in the city. Markle and Prince Harry served food “anonymously,” he said, noting, “No one knew they were serving food with masks.”
Gordo added, “They want to be as helpful as they can be … we visited with some of the affected families in some of the burned-out areas in Pasadena and Altadena. They took the time to meet the people that are affected and spent time. They’re just very caring people who are concerned for their friends and neighbors.” (Markle was born in Canoga Park, just east of the Kenneth Fire that is currently 35% contained.)
As previously reported, Markle and Prince Harry are among other high-profile figures doing their part amid the ongoing state emergency, which comprises a handful of fires — the most devastating being the Palisades (over 20,000 acres, 8% contained) and Eaton (over 14,000 acres, 3% contained) blazes. Currently, 180,000 people remain displaced, more than 9,000 structures were leveled and at least 10 people were confirmed dead.