The Duchess of Sussex has delayed the release of her new Netflix series due to the devastation caused by the wildfires in LA, the streaming platform has announced.

Meghan’s eight-part series, With Love, will premiere on 4 March instead of 15 January.

“I’m thankful to my partners at Netflix for supporting me in delaying the launch, as we focus on the needs of those impacted by the wildfires in my home state of California,” Meghan said in a statement to Tudum, the official companion site to Netflix.

Harry and Meghan comforted volunteers and handed out food to evacuees during a visit to Pasadena on Friday, where they met with the city’s mayor Victor Gordo and emergency workers tackling the Eaton Fire.

Footage showed the duchess, wearing a blue “LA” baseball cap, and the prince hugging and consoling people who had fled to the Pasadena Convention Center.

Latest on LA fires

They were also seen speaking Doug Goodwin, whose home was destroyed in the wildfires, and also to Jose Andres, founder of World Central Kitchen (WCK) which has been helping feed the public and emergency crews.

A description of the Netflix series on Tudum’s website said: “Produced by Meghan, ‘With Love, Meghan’ blends practical how-to’s and candid conversation with friends, new and old.

“Meghan shares personal tips and tricks, embracing playfulness over perfection, and highlights how easy it can be to create beauty, even in the unexpected.

“She and her guests roll up their sleeves in the kitchen, the garden, and beyond, and invite you to do the same.”

More from Sky News:
Body found after search of landfill site
How AI could help IVF couples
Former Little Mix star having twins

The royals live in Montecito, near Santa Barbara, around 90 miles from Los Angeles.

They are understood to have donated supplies, including clothing and children’s items, to people affected by the disaster.

They released a statement on Thursday urging people to help those affected by the wildfires and to open their homes to those evacuated.

Mel Gibson says there is “nothing left” of his Hollywood home following the LA wildfires and “someone should answer” for the devastation.

The Braveheart star was with podcaster Joe Rogan when the flames engulfed his Malibu mansion and said he was a “little tense” while recording their discussion.

But he knew his family were “out of harm’s way” and a few “necessary things” such as passports were saved.

The loss of his home and others is “tragic”, however, and it “makes you really sad”, he added.

While describing lost items as “only things”, he said they included “works of art, photographs, [and] rare books”, some of them dating back to 1600.

Regarding the conduct of the authorities, he told Fox News: “Apparently, some people were asleep on the job, mainly our leaders.

“That’s something they have to live with. Kids are traumatised. Someone should answer for it.”

Asked if he had a message for California governor Gavin Newsom, or Karen Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles, he commented: “Spend less on hair gel.”

LA fires latest: Civilian drone ‘rips hole in emergency plane’

At least 16 people have been killed in the blazes, with more than 100,000 asked to evacuate their homes.

The fires have affected multiple celebrities, ripping through exclusive suburbs in southern California, home to film stars and billionaires.

Legendary British actor Sir Anthony Hopkins has reportedly lost his home in the Pacific Palisades fire.

The star – perhaps best known for his performance as Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs – posted a message on Instagram, in which he said: “As we all struggle to heal from the devastation of these fires, it’s important we remember that the only thing we take with us is the love we give.”

The mother of British child star Rory Sykes, 32, has confirmed her son died in the Pacific Palisades fire.

Sykes appeared in TV programme Kiddy Kapers in the 1990s.

Shelley Sykes said her “beautiful son” was “born blind with cerebral palsy and had difficulty walking” but had overcome “so much with surgeries and therapies to regain his sight and to be able to learn to walk”.

Paris Hilton, meanwhile, says her “heart shattered into a million pieces” after visiting the charred remains of her Malibu beach house.

Describing herself as “in complete shock”, the hotel heiress said seeing her family memories “reduced to ashes” was “devastating”.

Hilton, 43, said she watched her home burn to the ground on TV – and shared a video on social media from inside the gutted structure.

She said she was grateful to be safe along with her husband Carter Reum and their two children, Phoenix and London, but was still devastated.

She wrote on Instagram: “I’m standing here in what used to be our home, and the heartbreak is truly indescribable.

“When I first saw the news, I was in complete shock – I couldn’t process it. But now, standing here and seeing it with my own eyes, it feels like my heart has shattered into a million pieces.”

She has lived in the multi-million-pound property for three years.

Hilton added: “This house wasn’t just a place to live – it was where we dreamed, laughed, and created the most beautiful memories as a family.

“It was where [son] Phoenix’s little hands made art that I’ll cherish forever, where love and life filled every corner. To see it reduced to ashes… it’s devastating beyond words.

“What breaks my heart even more is knowing that this isn’t just my story. So many people have lost everything. It’s not just walls and roofs – it’s the memories that made those houses homes. It’s the photos, the keepsakes, the irreplaceable pieces of our lives.”

She described herself as “incredibly lucky”, adding: “My loved ones – my babies – and my pets are safe. That’s the most important thing”.

She thanked the firefighters, first responders and volunteers who she said were “all risking their lives” to help, adding: “Even in the ashes, there is still beauty in this world.”

Read more:
What caused the ferocious fires and when will they end?
Furious LA woman challenges governor over wildfires response

Presenter Ricki Lake said she and her husband Ross had lost their “dream home” and their “heaven on earth”.

She said on Instagram: “We never took our heavenly spot on the bluff overlooking our beloved Malibu for granted, not even for one second.

“This loss is immeasurable. It’s the spot where we got married three years ago. I grieve along with all of those suffering during this apocalyptic event.”

The ancestral home of Big Lebowski actor Jeff Bridges is also understood to have been destroyed.

The four-bedroom home, which had been in the Bridges family for generations, was inherited by Bridges and his two siblings in 2018 according to the Los Angeles Times.

Tina Knowles, mother of singer Beyonce, has also lost a house she owned in Malibu to the fires.

She shared a short video of dolphins playing in the sea on Instagram, writing: “This is what I was looking at on my birthday this past weekend from my tiny little bungalow on the water in Malibu! It was my favourite place, my sanctuary, my sacred Happy Place. Now it is gone!!”

She went on to thank the fire department and first responders and offered condolences to others affected by the fires.

Take That star Mark Owen and his family were evacuated from their home, his wife Emma Ferguson describing them waking to “helicopters, thick black smoke and winds howling”.

She said that while she was grateful her family was safe, it was “exhausting” to be “constantly looking online to see if your house is gone”.

Actor Steve Guttenberg, best known for his role in the Police Academy film franchise, has called the fires “absolutely the worst” he has ever seen and has been doing what he can to help distressed residents.

Other stars to have lost their homes in the fires include Billy Crystal, Miles Teller, Diane Warren, Cary Elwes, Milo Ventimiglia, Anna Faris, Adam Brody and Leighton Meester, Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag.

On Friday, the Recording Academy, which runs the Grammy Awards, and charity MusiCares pledged $1m (£813,000) to support music artists affected by the fires.

Actress Jamie Lee Curtis has pledged the same amount to fire relief efforts from her family foundation.

The official cause of the deadly Los Angeles wildfires, fuelled by powerful winds and drought-like conditions, is yet to be determined.

But with the blazes still raging, causing devastation that has seen hundreds of homes destroyed and at least 16 people killed, who has been blamed over shortcomings in the response?

Donald Trump leads fierce criticism

President-elect Donald Trump was quick to point the finger at Joe Biden and California’s governor Gavin Newsom – a Democrat he refers to as “Gavin Newscum”.

LA fires latest: Looters dress as firefighters

He blamed water conservation priorities, including those related to the endangered Delta smelt fish, for causing hydrants to run dry in parts of Los Angeles.

“It’s a mistake of the governor, and you can say the administration,” he said.

“They don’t have any water. They didn’t have water in the fire hydrants.

“The governor has not done a good job.”

Without specifically naming Mr Trump, Mr Biden reacted to the claim during a briefing at the White House, passing the question to his deputy energy secretary David Turk.

He explained why power lines were shut down in the fire and how that impacted hydrants, saying it was down to a power and pressure issue.

Hydrants need power to pump water up, he said, but during times of disaster power lines are cut to curb the risk of power surges and line breakdowns.

Mr Trump went as far as to call Mr Newsom and LA mayor Karen Bass’ leadership “gross incompetence” and blamed them for “a total wipeout” in Los Angeles.

He said in a social media post: “This is one of the worst catastrophes in the history of our country. They just can’t put out the fires. What’s wrong with them?”

California governor hits back

Mr Newsom, who has also been the target of criticism from residents hit by the devastating wildfires, has invited Mr Trump to survey the area and meet those affected, but said the president-elect has not yet responded.

Read more:
What we know about the people killed?
What caused the fires?

In an interview with Sky News’ US partner network NBC, he took aim at those “creating a crisis” by taking “cheap political shots” and criticised the spreading of “mis and disinformation”.

“Somehow connecting the Delta smelt to this fire, which is inexcusable because it’s inaccurate – also incomprehensible to anyone that understands water policy in the state,” he said.

Trump claimed policies related to the endangered Delta smelt fish affected how much water could be pumped out of its habitat.

He also criticised what he said was Mr Trump’s suggestions he would withhold aid for California wildfires, saying he was “threatening the first responders”.

Mr Newsom has called for an independent investigation into the issues of water pressure and supply but insisted it was “not about finger pointing”.

LA mayor under fire

Asked if he had faith in the LA mayor, Mr Newsom did not back her by name but said he had “absolute faith in our community, adding: “I have faith in our leaders. I have the faith of our capacity to work together.”

More than 90,000 people have signed an online petition calling on Ms Bass to resign, accusing her of a “failure” to respond to the fires gripping the city.

The city mayor, who was on a visit to Ghana when the fires broke out, is also facing fierce criticism for $17.8m (£14.5m) in budget cuts for the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Fire chief embroiled in political row

Fire chief Kristin Crowley said they had “negatively impacted” her team’s ability to tackle the fires.

She told CNN “the fire department needs help” and there are not enough staff or fire stations, and in an interview with KTTV when asked if the city had failed the LAFD she responded, “yes”.

Ms Bass has denied that the reduction had an impact on firefighting efforts during this week’s crisis and sought to ease the tension amid rumours Ms Crowley would be sacked.

“The fire chief and I are focused on fighting these fires and saving lives, and any differences that we might have will be worked out in private,” Ms Bass said at a news conference.

Ms Crowley, who is gay and the city’s first female fire chief, had herself been swept into the national political debate with conservatives claiming diversity, equity and inclusion policies have gone too far in US institutions.

She has made diversifying the overwhelmingly male department a priority, but there’s no evidence that her efforts have hampered the fight.