Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s friend, José Andrés, has heaped praise on the couple for visiting Los Angeles fire victims earlier this month.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited the Pasadena Convention Center on Jan. 10, which was transformed into an evacuation site for victims of the nearby Eaton fire.
During their outing, Harry, 40, and the “Suits” alum, 43, were seen exchanging hugs with several individuals affected by the crisis.
“Probably, you feel like it’s better that nobody does anything, because nobody criticizes you for showing up — but the amazing thing is that they show up,” the World Central Kitchen founder, 55, told People on Saturday.
“The hugs I saw [them] give to the people that recognize them and even the people that don’t recognize them, it’s people that just want somebody to listen to them, and give them a hug.”
Shortly after the couple’s well-intentioned outing, “Family Ties” alum Justine Bateman labelled the duo “ambulance chasers” and “disaster tourists.”
Despite the barrage of criticism, Andrés praised the Sussexes for their efforts in lending a helping hand to the community during a crisis.
“I mean, listen, I consider them friends,” he said of the couple. “I know they are in the spotlight — not in America, but in Britain — and what I can tell you from what I know is that they don’t have to, but they decide to do it.”
Andrés added that he is “just glad they show up like so many others.”
Having previously made monetary donations to the relief efforts via their Archewell Foundation, the pair also donated clothing, children’s items and other essential supplies to the main donation center.
“The joy they bring to the people, the joy they bring to the first responders, or the people that lost everything… and to see those celebrities giving hugs and crying with the people when some of those celebrities lost their homes — they could be home, but they are there,” Andrés went on.
“And I think anybody that does anything, celebrity or not, only they will always forever get my applause and my recognition.”
“So, for everybody that was able to show up even for an hour, for me, they’re amazing people, because they don’t have to because some of them, they are suffering the consequences, maybe, of the fire. But there they are and they don’t do it where there are cameras, they’re doing it where there is nobody,” he added, calling their efforts “very special.”
Prior to the couple’s meeting with victims, the pair opened the doors of their sprawling $29 million Montecito mansion to friends who have been forced to evacuate their homes.
Sources also told The Post that the Sussexes are committed to further supporting recovery and rebuilding efforts, and have already planned additional visits to the community.
Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo has since praised the pair for providing much-needed aid to victims of the fires, saying they “really buoyed the spirits of the first responders.”
“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,” Gordo told local news outlet FOX 11.
“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.”
