A friend of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle has backed the royal couple as criticism over their life since they stepped back from their roles as senior royals persists.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have come under fire for a variety of reasons since their exit in 2020.

Now, their close pal, renowned chef José Andrés, has slammed the hate they have received, saying Prince Harry and Meghan Markle use their platforms “to bring voice and life to issues” rather than “living in their own cave.”

Speaking with Page Six at City Harvest Presents the 2025 Gala: Carnaval in New York City, José Andrés expressed confusion over the constant criticism targeted at Prince Harry and Meghan since they stepped back from their royal duties and moved to the U.S.

He defended the duo, calling them an “amazing couple” and noting that he only wants to” talk about the good things that they do.”

The chef then pointed out that the Sussexes could have chosen to be “in their own cave and do nothing” after leaving royal life, but they are using their platforms “to bring voice and life to issues.”

Giving context to his remarks, Andrés recalled how Harry and Meghan provided aid for the Los Angeles wildfires’ survivors.

“When they were in LA during the fires, they were genuinely in the fires,” the non-profit ceo added. “When the cameras were not rolling, they were there listening to people, and they made them feel like the most important person in the world.”

Some of the recent backlash directed at Prince Harry and Meghan has come from Dr. Sophie Chandauka, the chair of Harry’s African charity, Sentebale.

Last month, following the Invictus Games founder’s resignation from the organization, Chandauka made headlines by labeling the couple’s brand as “toxic” in a bombshell interview.

“The number one risk for this organisation was the toxicity of its lead patron’s brand,” Dr Chandauka, before adding that the couple stepping back from their royal life led to a decline in the charity’s donors and hampered its hiring ability.

“When you start to interview people, they’re asking questions about, well, these mixed messages around the patron,” she added, per The Mirror.

The trustee chair had also previously accused Harry of bullying and misogyny, with her claims and the organization now being investigated by the Charity Commission.

Another individual who has issued a string of criticisms against Harry and Meghan is former Vanity Fair editor-in-chief Tina Brown.

In a chat with The Telegraph, she claimed that the Duke and Duchess had a greater positive impact while operating under the royal umbrella than through anything they have done since stepping away from the monarchy.

She said, “He and Meghan talk about ‘doing good,’ but what good are they doing? The good you can do as a royal is so much more potent.”

The veteran journalist then branded the couple as “disaster tourists,” referencing their visit to survivors of the California wildfires.

She also claimed that the duo has a large “appetite for money,” which she believes led them to make “disastrous decisions,” such as Prince Harry’s “Spare” memoir and the Oprah interview.

Previously, Brown slammed Meghan over her cooking show, “With Love, Meghan,” and the former actress’s approach to promoting her lifestyle brand, As Ever.

Speaking about the show, Brown claimed it is proof that Meghan has an “unerring instinct for getting it wrong” and that she has “never figured out a convincing persona.”

She also used sharply worded remarks when referencing Meghan’s lifestyle brand.

“Who announces a new lifestyle brand, [As Ever], and hounds celebrity friends to talk up her strawberry jam on social media without doing due diligence on the availability of the trademark?” Brown questioned mockingly.

After Harry and Meghan’s appearance at the TIME100 summit in New York, they also came under fire for their four-car motorcade.

The arrangement was described as “absolutely abnormal” for celebrity standards by a source who compared it to how pop star Taylor Swift moves around.

“Taylor [Swift] usually has two cars — her car that she’s in and a security car with her team,” the insider shared with Page Six, suggesting that Swift was far more modest than the Sussexes. “And if [Swift’s] going somewhere, she has a separate car on-site with her team already there, but they don’t travel together.”

The source also questioned whether the “city was paying” for the unmarked police vehicles that were part of the couple’s motorcade.