Prince Harry and Meghan Markle write open letter to G20 leaders—asking them to 'vaccinate the world'

The Duke and Duchess have written the letter with WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle speak during the 2021 Global Citizen Live festival at the Great Lawn, Central Park on September 25, 2021 in New York City.
(Image credit: ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images))

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have written an 'open letter' to the leaders of the G20 summit and called for them to 'vaccinate the world' against Covid 19.


In a bid for equity, when it comes to the Covid 19 vaccine, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, met with influential figures in New York last month - but they've now taken it one step further.

The letter, intended for the leaders of the G20 summit in Rome, which is happening this weekend, calls on them to make the vaccine accessible to everyone.


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In the open letter, via the WHO website,  Harry and Megan say, "Today, we join with others to urge global leaders to end this devastating inequity and end this pandemic once and for all."

"We understand that the pandemic recovery is nuanced and deeply complex, but we have a window of opportunity to come together as a global community and meet our humanitarian promises,” they wrote. 

“By delivering already-pledged doses, helping countries manufacture their own vaccines, and prioritizing vaccines for nations in need, the G20 can help ensure the world delivers on these promises.”

It follows their rare appearance at the Global Citizen Live concert in New York last month, where they spoke about climate change and the vaccine.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended the annual music festival, which is held in Central Park. Although the event predominantly aims to push for greater action to combat climate change, they were in attendance to discuss a cause very close to their hearts—vaccine equity.

Meghan said on the day, "Look, we know it feels like this pandemic has been going on forever. We get it, it’s a lot, and some people are just over it." She then added, "But if everyone’s over it, it is never going to be over. There is so much we can do today that can get us closer to ending this pandemic and that’s why we’re all here."

While Harry added, "Since this pandemic began we've been talking to experts about how we can do our part. This week we sat with independent global health leaders to further understand how we get closer to vaccine equity and ending this crisis."

"But we are battling more than a virus," he added. "This is a battle of misinformation, bureaucracy, lack of transparency, and lack of access. And above all, a human rights crisis."

Sarah Finley

Sarah is a freelance journalist - writing about the royals and celebrities for Woman & Home, fitness and beauty for the Evening Standard and how the world of work has changed due to the pandemic for the BBC. 

 

She also covers a variety of other subjects and loves interviewing leaders and innovators in the beauty, travel and wellness worlds for numerous UK and overseas publications. 

 

As a journalist, she has written thousands of profile pieces - interviewing CEOs, real-life case studies and celebrities - interviewing everyone from Emma Bunton to the founder of Headspace.