Prince Harry made a very sweet gesture to an elderly victim of the Los Angeles wildfires during a visit with his wife Meghan Markle this weekend.
The royal couple, who live in Montecito near Santa Barbara, around 90 miles away from LA, were seen comforting victims as they handed out food parcels with Jennifer Newsom at the Pasadena Convention Centre, which is being used as an evacuation centre, on Friday.
Meghan, 43, and Harry, 40, have rallied around victims by making donations to relief efforts through their Archewell Foundation and have opened their $29million Montecito mansion to loved ones who were forced to evacuate.
They were joined by Mayor Victor Gordo to visit the victims and see the destruction of the fire first-hand.
At one point, Gordo said he lost track of the Duke of Sussex – before witnessing a very special act of kindness from the royal.
According to local paper the Pasadena Star News, Harry offered an elderly man if he wanted something to eat – a sandwich, piece of fruit or some water.
When the man, who wasn’t aware of who he was speaking to, said what he really wanted was a donut, Harry personally went out to fetch him one, and returned ten minutes later.
“The gentleman said, ‘what I’d really like is a donut,’” Gordo recalled, per the Pasadena Star.
Prince Harry made a very sweet gesture to an elderly victim of the Los Angeles wildfires during a visit with his wife Meghan Markle this weekend
Meghan and Harry are pictured with Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo (right) during their visit on Friday
He continued: ‘(Prince Harry) says, “There’s no donut here, but I will find one.’ He takes off, and 10 minutes later, he returns with a donut. The gentleman looks up and says, “I guess I need my carbs and my sugar”.
Gordo pointed out that Harry had managed to stay anonymous for the entirety of the exchange but the gentleman said: ‘If you ever run for anything, I’ll vote for you!’
During their visit, Meghan and Harry stood alongside the embattled California governor’s wife as they served meals to the survivors of the Los Angeles wildfires.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stood next to the wife of the Democrat California Governor Gavin Newsom who has come under increasing pressure from the likes of President-elect Donald Trump for his response to the raging wildfires.
The fires that have ravaged the city have killed 16 people and burned through almost 14,000 acres. Around 4,000 to 5,000 structures have also been damaged or destroyed including the homes of Hollywood A-listers.
US President Joe Biden has chillingly predicting the death toll is likely to rise after he described the terrifying situation as ‘like a war scene’.
LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone has warned high winds and low humidity means the fire threat will remain high until Wednesday.
Meghan and Harry were spotted hugging their ‘favourite’ celebrity chef José Andrés, the founder of World Central Kitchen, who has teamed up with the couple through their Archewell Foundation since 2020, which is distributing free hot meals to the public and emergency crews in the wake of the wildfires.
The Duchess shared a lemon olive oil cake recipe to Andrés’ The World Central Kitchen: Feeding Humanity, Feeding Hope in 2023.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry stood alongside the embattled California governor’s wife as they served meals to the survivors of the Los Angeles wildfires
The royal couple, who live near Santa Barbara, around 90 miles away from LA, were seen comforting victims as they handed out food parcels with Jennifer Newsom (pictured centre)
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were seen leaving hand-in-hand after handed out meals to survivors
A fire fighting helicopter drops water as the Palisades fire grows near the Mandeville Canyon neighborhood and Encino, California, on January 11, 2025
Meghan Markle was spotted comforting victims and first responders at an evacuation centre, on Friday amid the ongoing fires in LA
José Andrés, the founder of World Central Kitchen, which is distributing meals to victims of the LA fires, was also seen meeting Meghan and Harry
A plane drops Phos-Chek flame retardant in Mandeville Canyon during the Palisades Fire, LA – January 11, 2025
Meghan Markle speaks with Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo, center, and Doug Goodwin, who’s home was destroyed by the Eaton Fire, in Altadena
Mayor Gordo replied saying the couple ‘were not here for publicity, they came out here to work’.
He said Harry and Meghan made an earlier appearance at the centre on the same day, during which they were ‘anonymously’ serving food to victims who were unable to recognise the pair with their masks on.
‘We went to visit some of the families in the impacted area and view firsthand some of the impacted area and then they wanted to go visit the first responders and personally thank them for their efforts to help our families and their neighbors,’ the Mayor added.
Jennifer Siebel Newsom, California‘s First Partner, was also pictured speaking to the couple along with Chef Andrés.
Earlier in the broadcast, Ms Hirasuna described Meghan as ‘Princess Meghan’, which led to some disgruntled viewers to criticise her reporting.
Many took to social media to point out her mistake, clarifying that Meghan is the Duchess of Sussex, rather than a Princess.
Meghan Markle, who was described as Princess Markle by a Fox News anchor, was seen consoling victims of the wildfires at the Pasadena Convention Center on Friday
Meghan is seen consolling José Andrés, the founder of World Central Kitchen, as they made an appearance at the Pasadena Convention Centre on Friday
Prince Harry was also spotted speaking to the Mayor of Pasadena Victor Gordo, who described the couple as ‘great people’ with ‘great personalities’
Fox News anchor Susan Hirasuna (pictured) was slammed online for describing Meghan as ‘Princess Markle’
Earlier in the broadcast, Ms Hirasuna described Meghan as ‘Princess Meghan’, which led to some disgruntled viewers to criticise her reporting.
Many took to social media to point out her mistake, clarifying that Meghan is the Duchess of Sussex, rather than a Princess.
One person YouTube saying: ‘Dear Ma’am, Markel is not a princess. She is a duchess and not allowed to use the title. Just FYI.’
Another commenter added: ‘AGAIN SHES NOT A PRINCESS!!!’, while a third wrote: ‘Stop calling her Princess, that’s not her title!’
Elsewhere on Instagram, users described the coverage as cringe, after Ms Hirasuna also said the couple was ‘hanging out with the commoners’.
One person wrote: ‘Absolute cringeworthy – the newscaster. Princess. Commoners. Geez.’
Another person added: ‘I imagine Harry & Meghan are very moved by the deviation (sic) so close to home. The commentators coverage of this is extremely cringe.’
A third person also criticised Ms Hirasuna for making the ‘rude remark’.
