Meghan Markle will not attend a Los Angeles museum gala where she was due to be honoured this Saturday, after organisers postponed the event amid violent clashes between protesters and the National Guard in the city.
The Duchess of Sussex had been scheduled to appear at the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County's Night of Wonder gala on June 14, where she was to be recognised for her work supporting women and underserved communities.
The museum announced the postponement on Tuesday evening as immigration protests continued to escalate following raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers.
Dr Lori Bettison-Varga, President and Director of NHMLAC, said in a statement: "As an institution 'of, for, and with Los Angeles,' our responsibility during challenging times is clear: to serve as a community resource focused on healing and unity, not celebration."
Meghan Markle's Los Angeles appearance postponed amid riots.
PA / Reuters
She added: "Los Angeles needs us to channel our energy toward supporting our neighbors and demonstrating the values that make our city and county strong."
The museum's Board of Trustees, leadership and event partners unanimously agreed that postponing was "the appropriate response to current community circumstances", according to a release from the institution.
The museum will maintain regular daily operations and educational programmes whilst planning to reschedule the gala for a future date.
The 43-year-old former actress had been set to deliver remarks at the event, which aimed to honour her efforts in advancing community wellbeing and expanding opportunities for marginalised groups.
Protesters in California are fighting against deportations.
Reuters
The postponement comes as Los Angeles faces significant unrest following President Donald Trump's deployment of the National Guard to address protests against ICE raids that began on Friday, 6 June.
The situation has "rapidly deteriorated", according to journalists covering the protests, with reports of police on horseback firing rubber bullets at demonstrators in central Los Angeles.
A correspondent from Australia's 9 News was struck by a rubber bullet whilst reporting on the clashes between law enforcement and protesters.
This marks the second time this year that Meghan has postponed a major event due to crises in California.
A member of law enforcement fires crowd control munitions as protests against immigration sweeps continue.
Reuters
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Meghan Markle had been due to speak at the Natural History Museum.
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In January, she delayed the premiere of her Netflix series "With Love, Meghan" because of devastating wildfires across Los Angeles.
"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," she said at the time.
The Duchess and Prince Harry, who live in Montecito with their two children, opened their home to evacuees during the fires and worked through their Archewell Foundation to support affected communities.
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