Meghan Markle has been mocked by Candace Owens after a reporter sought to explain her help for Los Angeles wildfire victims during the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s visit to the wildfire zone.
“She stooped down and she picked up the lid of a plastic bin,” Owens said in a TikTok clip. “And that’s how I knew my girl was real, and I just want to thank Meghan for doing that. It’s very helpful for her to stoop down and do that.”
Owens told Newsweek in a statement: “I agree with the general public sentiment that Meghan and Harry are inauthentic ambulance chasers.”
Why It Matters
Meghan and Harry’s visit to the wildfire zone sits neatly within the remit of a traditional royal engagement, but the fact the couple are no longer working royals appears to have landed badly with some people.
They were likely not helped by the fact much of the news footage showed them talking to World Central Kitchen staff and Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo or walking through ruined streets rather than packing boxes with aid for victims.
However, it remains the case that the Sussexes appear to be in the same negative spiral with conservative Americans that they had been in with conservative Brits prior to quitting the royal family.
David Levenson/Getty Images and AP Photo/Ethan Swope
What To Know
The Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry toured fire-ravaged neighborhoods as well as visiting a Pasadena site where World Central Kitchen were offering disaster relief last Friday.
Owens shared a clip of an interview with Gordo, in which the reporter said: “It looked as if the two of them might want to really be helpful, as I saw actually Meghan Markle, like, stoop down and take off the lid of a plastic bin. Do they really want to get down and dirty?”
Owens said: “If there’s any plastic bins that you guys see around that need picking up, you can hit up your girl Meghan Markle. It’s amazing.
“I really just got such a chuckle out of that description. It’s just such a nonsense. Nobody cares. Send money, send food, it’s about what these people need.
“They need donations, they need a place to live, they need hotels. That’s not to say they aren’t doing that, I’m sure perhaps they are in the background, but I just don’t understand this visit.”
She also mocked Meghan’s decision to postpone her Netflix show With Love, Meghan.
“Meghan, our duchess, has decided that she’s going to push the Netflix series, the one that we showed you of her cooking, its so relatable.
“She felt that maybe it would not be relatable at this time to see her cooking in a mansion that belongs to one of her friends and inviting over her rich and fabulous people as she gets honey out of the garden and presents perfect Martha Stewart-looking cakes.
“They thought maybe it’s not the right time, it was kind of devastating that they’re going to have to push that but then people will be able to watch it at a later time.”
The clip of Owens’ comments was liked 27,000 times and viewed 550,000 times after being posted on TikTok.
What People Are Saying
Not everyone agreed with Owens, as one comment on her post read: “I like Candace, but the Meghan Markle hate is ridiculous.”
Another commenter said: “I don’t understand how a reporter’s question of one moment of Meghan volunteer work, probably in the middle of doing something, is now a bit to again criticize Meghan. That makes no sense.”
What Happens Next
Meghan’s cooking show With Love, Meghan, postponed in the wake of the L.A. fires, will now launch on March 4.
Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on X, formerly Twitter, at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek‘s The Royals Facebook page.
Update 1/16/25, 3:30 p.m. ET: This story was updated with additional information.
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