The Sussexes faced backlash for their photo-op during Los Angeles wildfires, accused by actress Justine Bateman of being “disaster tourists.” Criticism surged as they were seen volunteering 90 miles from their Montecito mansion, with many labeling their efforts as a staged publicity stunt. While local mayor Victor Gordo praised them, the public remained skeptical, fueled by prior scandals surrounding Meghan and Harry. In contrast, the dignified approaches of Kate and William during tragedies highlighted their genuine compassion, contrasting sharply with Meghan’s perceived need for media attention. This situation reflects the Sussexes’ struggle for positive public image amid waning popularity.
No doubt the Sussexes thought they had scored another victory for compassion when they were caught on camera volunteering at the Los Angeles wildfires, but later that day, bona fide Hollywood star Justin Bateman accused them of being “no better than ambulance chasers.”
As they sat complacent in their nine-bedroom £23 million Montecito mansion, which they claim opened up to friends fleeing the massacre, the floodgates opened. Opened.
Instead of an outpouring of gratitude for their kindness, there was a wave of criticism, led by Bateman, who reflected the mood of countless people around the world on social media.
“What a disgusting ‘photoshoot’ they accomplished,” she wrote to X.
Noting that they live 90 miles from the Los Angeles fires, he added, “They don’t live here, they’re tourists, disaster tourists.”
Despite a heartwarming show of gratitude from the local mayor, Victor Gordo, who described them as “wonderful people” with “great character”, the people had already made up their minds. .
As their popularity in the US wanes, this is a chance for Meggs and Harry, who were previously described as “shitty scammers” by the head of Spotify, to cleanse their reputations and shine a light on their tarnished halo. It was just a new attempt.
And they’re in dire need of some good publicity ahead of Meghan’s new Netflix series, With Love, Meghan Markle – on which their financial future depends.
Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan have been labeled ‘disaster tourists’ after they were caught on camera traveling 90 miles from home to meet victims of the LA fires.
Hollywood actress Justine Bateman slams the Sussexes as “less than ambulance chasers”
Due to be released tomorrow, a Sussex source said the Duchess had asked for the series to be postponed out of respect for the victims of the fire. Good choice, Megs, because that’s not a good look. As Los Angeles burns to the ground, a carefree billionaire duchess becomes a normal loving and caring mother.
Such are the allegations against Megs and Harry that there were even scathing reports on social media that last Friday’s photo shoot was all staged. Social media users claimed the Sussexes appeared at the shelter for just 17 minutes and were accompanied by a security guard and a hugging woman who left with them when they arrived.
Oh, how could things have gone so wrong for Megs and Harry? Perhaps each time they reach out to show calculating compassion and care (often tailed by camera crews), we are reminded of Meg’s abandonment of her father, Thomas, and of Harry’s Probably because he committed a cruel act against his family.
Still, everything could have been completely different. Duchess Meghan, a smug, bit-part actress who thought she knew everything, turned to Duchess Kate’s book on dealing with grief with dignity.
It is understood Kate and William sent a personal message of comfort to their grieving families before making an emotional pilgrimage to Southport weeks after the horrific murders of three girls.
And in a very personal public message, the Princess of Wales, who was still recovering from chemotherapy at the time, said: ‘As a parent, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the families, friends and loved ones of those killed and injured in Southport today. I cannot understand what you are going through.”
Kate’s visit to Southport in October was her most important official engagement since her illness was made public. She and William met privately for 30 minutes with the grieving families of Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancomb, 7, and Alice DaSilva Aguiar, 9. I met with
There was no media coverage of the visit. No cameras were allowed to witness their harrowing meeting. There was no film crew to absorb Kate’s tears and offer comfort from mother to mother. There is no picture of William’s despair as someone who lost his own mother at a young age and who could perhaps understand the depth of that loss.
Kate and William met with one of the emergency workers who responded to the aftermath of a knife attack on children in Southport in July that left three girls dead, but the meeting with the couple and their families was kept private. Ta
Their meeting was held in complete secrecy and was not announced publicly until after Kate and William had left. “Out of respect for their ongoing grief,” no details of those meetings were released to the media.
They also met privately with Leanne Lucas, 35, a dance teacher who was seriously injured by a knifeman while protecting young people during a Taylor Swift-themed summer class in July.
A small media contingent was allowed to briefly film their visit to first responders and those affected by the tragedy, but that was it.
The future king and queen left quietly, with no fanfare and no Netflix film crew accompanying them. If you weren’t a keen eye, you would have noticed how distressed Kate especially was.
And they kept their promise to keep the girls and their families in their prayers. The Duchess of Cambridge has invited the children who survived the Southport stabbing to attend a Christmas carol service as special guests, and the charity Stronger Together has ensured they will be supported for three days along with their families in London.
All of this comes to mind when the late Queen Elizabeth was initially humiliated for not visiting the mining village of Aberfan in Wales sooner after a devastating coal slurry avalanche killed 144 people in 1966. , reminded me of the finest example of dignity in grief. The classroom still contained 116 children.
All of the people we today call first responders said the Queen was right to arrive eight days after the disaster. Her presence, with all the security and preparations that come with a visit from the Queen, would have interfered with their work to save the few survivors and recover the broken bodies of the children for burial with their loved ones. .
Royal author Penny Junor said that far from being indifferent to the tragedy, they “showed their humanity” to local residents by staying calm.
Upon arrival, the Queen spoke privately for 30 minutes with families who had lost husbands, wives and children. Among them was a woman who was grieving the loss of seven family members.
Juner recalls: “The Queen didn’t say anything for 30 minutes and just sat quietly with her. It was a display of humility on the Queen’s part.”
Both the late Queen Elizabeth and the future Queen Catherine understood what comfort meant to those suffering such terrible tragedies, and the dignity and all-important privacy that such grief required.
Dignity and privacy are concepts that Meghan will never understand. Sadly for her, as she proved, no good deed is worth doing unless there’s a camera crew to capture every moment of your kindness.
The Mail’s royal expert Robert Hardman said the Queen visited Aberfan “until she regained control of her emotional state, knowing that as a young mother she would be devastated like everyone else”. He set the record straight by saying he could not have done so.
After all, he added: “The last thing people want is a queen sobbing on their shoulders.”
As Meghan tearfully hugged the victims of the LA fires, did it ever occur to her that the last thing they needed was a publicity-driven celebrity duchess sobbing on their shoulder?