The Duchess of Sussex has been seen in LA again, supporting wildfire relief AND supporting girls. A group of teenage girls created Altadena Teen Girls Fire Recovery Group, in which people can donate clothes, beauty supplies, haircare items and more, specifically for girls affected by the Southern California fires. They basically rented out a warehouse and anyone can stop by and pick up whatever they need, like a CVS without a cash register. Of course Meghan stopped by and dropped off some supplies, and the girls included Meghan in a couple of their IG reels.
Meghan Markle made a low-key visit to a new relief group working to restore a sense of normalcy for teenagers affected by the Eaton Fire, one in the series of wildfires devastating the Los Angeles area. PEOPLE understands that the Duchess of Sussex lent her support to the Altadena Teen Girls Fire Recovery group on Jan. 13, an organization she and Prince Harry have contributed to through their Archewell Foundation.
The Altadena Teen Girls Fire Recovery organization was launched by 14-year-old Avery Colvert from Pasadena last week to gather beauty products, haircare items, clothes and other personal supplies for teen girls displaced or affected by the Eaton Fire, the Los Angeles Times reports. The blaze that began on Jan. 7 is over 14,000 acres in size and was 45% contained as of Jan. 15, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
Meghan arrived with new clothing, beauty products and lunch for the volunteers. Meghan directly engaged with families as they visited, helping the girls with shopping, sharing conversations and providing much-needed support throughout the visit.
The Duchess of Sussex was spotted in a reel that the group shared to Instagram on Jan. 15, which showed volunteers at work in a warehouse full of products. It rolled to show footage of Meghan having a chat with someone one-on-one, where she wore a black Los Angeles baseball cap and held two full tote bags on her arms.
“And thank you to everyone who showed up on Monday, which was such a special day! We love you!” Altadena Teen Girls Fire Recovery captioned the clip on Instagram.
The footage, which was captured by the charity’s organizers, offered a peek into Meghan’s efforts on the ground, and followed her outing with Prince Harry to Pasadena Convention Center on Jan. 10. There, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex helped distribute food and supplies to victims of the Eaton Fire, where they arrived without fanfare to directly lend a hand. Prince Harry and Meghan take a discreet approach to their site visits, prioritizing meaningful. Contrary to some reports, the Duke and Duchess do not bring videographers or photographers along, instead focusing on directly supporting communities and the ongoing relief efforts.
I kind of hate that People Magazine/Archewell has to be so proactive in dispelling the “rumors” (deranger lies) that Meghan and Harry are “bringing photographers and videographers to document their volunteerism.” Even if the Sussexes were doing that, who cares? It would bring attention to the charities and fire relief. The young ladies working on the Altadena Teen Girls Fire Recovery Group didn’t even use photos or videos of Meghan as their IG thumbnails or anything – it’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearance. But the girls gave Archewell a shout-out in an announcement that they were now accepting donations directly. My guess is that the Archewell team gave the girls advice about how to set up their 501(c)(3). One of the girls also responded to a comment about Meghan: “Even just meeting her is life-changing! Having her support is unreal.”
The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan visited Altadena Girls. A charity started by a 14 year old girl to aid those affected by the #EatonFire.
Harry and Meghan’s Archewell Foundation donated to Altadena Girls.#HarryandMeghan #lafires pic.twitter.com/LqeRRXSthC
— ChrisBaronSmith (@ChrisBaronSmit1) January 15, 2025
Screencaps courtesy of Fox affiliate, Sky News.
Ironic that they are accused by some media types who bring photographers and videographers of doing so. Do they think just because they are media it is okay, but not for anyone else? How often do they ask permission before filming either? I doubt the ones filming H&M volunteering asked their permission since they didn’t even speak to them. Things filmed by production companies for Netflix have waivers signed and get permission.
It is because they need to turn everything about H&M into negative. They can’t criticize their actions, which is volunteering, so they are trying to create a negative about their intention. Everybody with a good heart volunteers and shares what they are doing with the hope that other people will do the same or make donations. It is only a bad thing when Meghan does it apparently.
I know that this is not the point – but dear god she is so lovely. Her face without makeup is so stunning. She’s beautiful- Inside and out. I just admire her so much. She does so many things that I wish to emulate. And I’m the same age as her.
This is an incredible support in a very important demographic.
We had a horrific wild fire here and a lot of our friends lost their homes. I went through my jewelry and clothes and gave them to whoever wanted / needed them. A close friend of ours who I had sent cute stud earrings to for her daughters – both teenagers – said that them getting those earrings was one of the first times that they both really showed their spark again. It’s not about the earrings. It was about self expression and having something fun and not just practical things.
Friendly Crow she is beautiful inside and out, even without makeup. I just wanted to thank you for sharing your kind heart with those in need, especially those young teens who needed a sign of normalcy and beauty in this world to remind them that things will be okay. That is what I admire about Meghan and Harry. People going through difficult times need to know that others see them and care and that is exactly what they continue to do. The smallest things (hugs, donuts and earrings) might seem small to some of us but for those in the mist of what seems like a nightmare, small things can be everything.
@FriendlyCrow: Good for you for doing what you can to help.
Oh. Thank you. I was really just trying to say that what the 14 year old did was amazing and Meghan showing up with donations and to help is amazing.
Having things that aren’t practical but still beautiful can really be a light in the darkness. A bit of hope. And they are doing that on such a massive scale. It’s just wonderful.
That’s lovely. And I’m very impressed with what the 14yo has accomplished here. Kudos all around.
I saw this yesterday and was so impressed with the young teen who pulled the event together. There were a few celebrities that volunteered too. They are really coming together as a community. Meghan is such a great example of talking the talk and walking the walk.
I am so proud of her for continuing to do her work “without fear or favor” of what the trolls have to say.
Good for her. This has to be one of the silliest ‘controversies’. Lots of famous and regular people are out helping right now. The more the haters push stuff like this the more that regular people see it for what it is. Good for Meghan and Harry for showing up and helping where they can.
Even British people are getting fed up of the constant hate. 3 readers’ letters that the Independent printed yesterday were criticising the tone of the coverage and opinion pieces. It is so over the top now that non hateful people are noticing.
Becauses of the hate campaign against Meghan none of the other celebrities are getting publicity. Ironic!
This! So many people are doing what they can to help LA, so many people from across the world, Trying to criticize her for helping her hometown when so many people are in need seems particularly low.
Also, what a lovely thing for the girl who started this group to have this visitor? I’m so happy Meghan is continuing to support her hometown and while she, Harry and Archwell are probably supporting many things behind the scenes, I love seeing her support for Altadena.
I have seen a lot of people being fed up with how Meghan is being treated for volunteering. Using one of the worst natural disasters in US history to hate on someone volunteering their money and time is waking people up to the obvious smear campaign against her. She is getting way more love and support than hate. The British media and paid trolls really messed up with this.
This.
This is exactly how the Sussexes roll up. They assess the problem then see how best they can help…Aligning themselves with the Altedena Girl’s group is exactly in their wheel house empowering women and girls. So proud they continue to tune out the noise as they help those most in need.
At this point, if there’s any sort of pushback from the British press, it’s seen as the disgusting, transparent smear campaign that it is. The BRF would be wise to call off their dogs if they don’t want to continue plummeting in popularity. It’d be hilarious, in an Irish wake way, if the LA fires resulted in the demise of the BRF because one petty, small, sorry excuse for a would-be “king” can’t get past the fact that his sister-in-law acted in a show.
Willy can’t get passed the fact that his SIL had the testicular fortitude to tell him “Kindly take your finger out of my face.” I’d bet money that no one has spoken to him that way since his mother passed away.
The Guardian published an article saying Harry and Meghan were tone deaf for volunteering. But wait it gets better. King Charles suddenly announce he would be visiting a food bank in Scotland today. Actually is about 20 miles from me. But talk about tone deaf they have accepted a 50% rise they are buying 2new helicopters and they are visiting a food bank. They never take anything with them just visit shake hands and smile and give nice words. I just wonder if he’s trying to avoid Harry coming to London for his court case. Such a loving father and grandfather Lol
Tone deaf for volunteering, the Guardian is, or perhaps it should be, was a leftie paper, it should be proud that they are volunteering.
It’s called projection. Project unto to Harry and Meghan every negative aspect of the Royal Family in an attempt to retain the “mystique” of royalty, of God ordained specialness – where Royals show up and people feel better, as if in rapture of the anointed ones.
Harry and Meghan are humble and have exposed the viciousness behind this mystique. This makes the Royal Family no better than the common man they lord over.
Does the Guardian list all of the other celebrities and people in California volunteering tone deaf or is that title only for Harry and Meghan? California doesn’t pay for them, so there is nothing tone deaf about them helping those in need. There is nothing more tone deaf than the royal family who have everything anyone could ever need or want being funded by those who don’t. They are being funded by people who are living through a financial crisis and some having to choose between warming their homes and eating.
The BM seems incapable of not realizing the Sussexes are not the caricatures they created but real people. How is volunteering tone deaf? If it is, does that not completely negate the entire point of celebrity and”royal” patrons/spokespeople? People pay attention to celebrities so they use that attention on themselves and divert it to things deserving but not getting attention. They weren’t stopping relief efforts, they weren’t forcing people that were better suited to be running operations to stop and meet with them, they weren’t causing a scene. I think that they just fundamentally don’t know how to treat Harry and Meghan as anything but working royals. So they keep trying to measure private citizens against a playbook for a game all parties aren’t playing.
Some parts of the Guardian have seriously lost the plot.
I mean, they were the ones to uncover so many royal scandals — like the former PoW’s Black Spider memos, or how the Men in Grey made sure to exempt the RF from environmental and labor laws, or how people dying intestate involuntarily “left” their money to the Duchy of Cornwall, among other things.
But somehow H&M are bad for helping out, volunteering, when the Left-Behinds sweep in somewhere, cameras *and* rota 🐀🐀🐀 in tow — without actually doing anything, nor donating, nor otherwise attempting to improve people’s lives.
I just saw that the Scots organized and protested Charles. 😀 Not the result he probably wanted.
Go Meghan! I love that she’s not letting anybody stop her from helping others. I suspect that the fact that Meghan really wanted to help people when she married Harry was one of the reasons why the Royal Family and the British press didn’t like her.
She actually wanted to do things rather than lend her name to some charities and just do the talk. Who has Kate actually helped with her ‘early years’
The ones who helped are experts and scholars in early childhood. Kate is no expert and is all smoke and mirrors.
I believe that they saw her previous desire to help others and hopes to continue that in a broader way as a royal was a problem for them that they realized would shine a light on how inept they are and how their entire concept is just a ruse to line their pockets with.
You are absolutely right. It’s also in the same vein as Harry mentioning how shocked Meghan was when she saw how things functioned behind the scenes. I think that she heard the royals and courtiers blathering on about “a life of service” and after seeing Harry’s impressive work with and on behalf of his own charities, thought that the others were like him and of the same mindset and work ethic. Then she joined the family and discovered that “life of service” meant serving THEMSELVES via PR photo-ops and embiggening articles and nothing else. The other senior royals did absolutely nothing to help others and were a total bunch of grifters. Smoke and mirrors and all that. So when she persisted with her lifelong work of helping others – dedicating herself to a genuine life of service – it threatened to show the grifters up (see Grenfell and the Hubb cookbook, where she had to fight to ringfence the money it raised so William and Kate couldn’t get their grubby mitts on it).
And even now when she is back in her home country and continuing to do the work she has always done – people all over the world are being reminded that this lovely, caring being is who Meghan has always been (WLM will also remind people of this) and she is still showing up the grifters without even trying. THAT’S another reason why they are still trying to tear her down. There’s racism written large, of course, underwriting all of their actions, but they hate that she is so much better than they are at everything – and this is revealing their grift to more and more people. Meghan will now be the benchmark for the so-called “working” royals whenever they pretend to do charity work.
Good for all those girls on their charity. And good for Meghan for supporting them despite the backlash. Peoples’ behaviors and the things they’re saying are getting real ugly. It’s a weird time. As ever, sending ❤️to everyone affected by the fires.
I love that Meghan wears her LA hat everywhere. I’ve been doing that too. Spent a week in LA almost eight years ago for my nephew’s wedding. I fell in love with it. Wearing the hat reminds folks and they notice!
I love it too! I know she doesn’t intend it that way but to me it’s seen as a FU to all the haters. She would have been criticized for wearing one in the UK had she and Harry still lived there. But she is a proud Angeleno and is making her loyalty to her home city loud and clear, especially in the wake of a such a heartbreaking natural disaster. In fact I find it interesting they don’t harp on her wearing the LA ballcap. It’s her version of a crown.
The BM in this case are taking orders from KP. Kate got dragged for her staged visit to a cancer ward, especially for her tone deaf account of getting sunlight during her “cancer” treatment when it’s against medical advice to be exposed to sunlight during chemo. It upsets derangers that they can’t bully Meghan into stop doing her bit; apparently they are dropping hateful email to org offices to not accept help from the Sussexes.
The derangers should donate to help those who lost their homes instead of writing nasty letters about the sussexes.
The emails from derangers should be put in junk mail.
These paid trolls are just proving Harry and Meghan right. More and more people are seeing this organized smear campaign for what it is.
Telling organizations in need to not accept funds and support from someone because you hate them, is the epitome of the highest form of stupidity. Are the idiots providing any funding to replace what they are telling the charity not to accept? I very much doubt it.
It’s agonizing to see how much the Sussexes are excoriated and denigrated for showing up and doing good when and where it is needed. This is what they committed to doing from the very beginning of their relationship. And not only do they show up, their supporters, aka the Sussex Squad, are right there behind them. I don’t think that there’s any other celebrity support group (fandom) that does what the Squad does, in terms of fundraising as a community as well as individually, at least not to the same level. No one talks about that, while these vile creatures are attacking the Sussexes.
Despite the dumb backlash (if that’s what you really want to call it), I love that she just continues to show up. As someone who lives in LA, these people need help & shouldn’t have to deal with biased reporting.
I read this story in the New York Post yesterday. The article itself was perfectly neutral, but I made the mistake of looking at the comments. Hundreds of them, and every one of them full of hate. So weird.
None of that helped anyone in LA, but Meghan did.
It is mostly KP’s troll farm. They were in full force on Reddit too with Kate’s stories. The subreddits with limited users were getting thousands of likes with Kate stories. It is so obviously paid by KP.
The Page 6 TikTok has thousands of positive comments for this story.
I bet it does. Murdoch bots are gonna be insane as Harry’s case against him starts next week.
I don’t understand the point of bots at this point. Early on before the docu series, Spare, and Harry and Meghan being out and about and super visible maybe. You didn’t have a competing narrative. They are now responding to nonsense on the record, allowing friends to respond on the record, and giving interviews about what they are doing fairly consistently( not enough for some I know, I know). Now just because someone makes an unhinged comment and it gets 1000 likes, it seems like the person reading it just thinks that there’s a thousand unhinged people rather than thinking, hmm maybe they have a point.
They’re seriously going to attack a charity for teenage girls who lost everything in a fire yesterday! Started by a 14 yr old girl! Do these people not realize how terrible that looks? The world is watching LA right now and watching all the media coverage and reaction.
I’m so glad Meghan has learned to ignore the manufactured hate and noise because there is so much a woman with her platform, intelligence, compassion and drive can do that will help others. Its a loss for us all when the most compassionate among us turn away from serving the public good for any reason.
I’m so proud of Meghan for going back ❤️ I’m in my what would Meghan do faze ❤️ team sussex
Funny, I didn’t see Justine Bateman anywhere.,
I just donated to this effort! I love how Meghan came loaded down with bags — that she carried herself, because she never acts like she’s too good to carry her own bags.
She’s an inspiration. I mean, she just inspired this person on the other end of the country to give, and I’m sure she’s inspired countless others. As the mother of daughters, I understand how important it is to feel put-together when facing tough circumstances. She’s helping these girls acquire the battle armor they need to carry on.
I guess these derangers are in the same pool of people who think LA should just burn. Good to know that there are these types of people everywhere. I suggest the people in the UK be careful or you’ll end up with the type of administration that the US is getting.
14-year-old Avery Colvert and the other girls who organized this are amazing. I’m going to follow and donate now. This is such a traumatic event, I’m always amazed by people who just jump right into action to help, and it’s so impressive these kids did this.
Maybe this will finally convinced Kate that she needs to stop coming empty-handed to charities. Who knows, maybe she’ll even bring an entire truck full of things next.
Nah, then people will start expecting things like that from their overpaid inbred grifters!!
Meghan probably sees herself in this teenager who started this fire recovery charity. She is truly such a beautiful soul, inside and out.
The BM is so sick, and I’m glad many who didn’t care before are Now seeing their true colors. Just GTF out of LA and go back to reporting your leftovers.
You can tell she has been crying. Empathy~