Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have appealed to well-wishers wanting to mark their son’s second birthday to donate money to pay for Covid vaccinations in disadvantaged countries.
Harry and Meghan have issued a joint statement thanking those who have offered “warmth and support” for their family during the past two years in honour of Archie’s birthday, gestures which had left them “deeply touched”.
The couple said they were “incredibly grateful” to those well-wishers who had given money to good causes, volunteered or raised donations on behalf of their son.
In the signed statement, posted on their Archewell foundation website, Harry and Megan said: “We will not be able to truly recover until everyone, everywhere, has equal access to the vaccine.
“And with that intention, we are inviting you to contribute whatever you can — if you have the means to do so — to bring vaccines to families in the world’s most vulnerable places.
“For a donation of just five dollars (€4.15), you can cover the cost of a dose for someone in need.
“And because we were able to secure matching support from a number of organisations, that five dollars you give will automatically turn into 20 dollars — covering the cost of four doses.”
The Sussexes went on to say: “We cannot think of a more resonant way to honour our son’s birthday. If we all show up, with compassion for those we both know and don’t know, we can have a profound impact. Even a small contribution can have a ripple effect.
“Together, we can uplift, protect and care for one another.”
At the weekend Harry appeared with a host of famous names from the worlds of music, film and politics at Global Citizen’s Vax Live: The Concert to Reunite the World, a charity performance in aid of the international Covid vaccination effort.
Speaking to an animated crowd of only fully vaccinated guests, the duke asked for vaccines to be “distributed to everyone everywhere”, while also saluting frontline medical workers both at the concert and around the world.
The Sussexes also said in their statement that despite the world being on a path to Covid recovery, “too many families are still struggling with the impact of this pandemic”.
“While some places are on the verge of healing, in so many parts of the world, communities continue to suffer.
“As of today, around 80% of the nearly one billion Covid-19 vaccine shots that have been given were administered in wealthier countries.
“While we may feel that normalcy is around the corner, we remind ourselves that in much of the world, and especially in developing countries, vaccine distribution has effectively yet to start.”
