Prince Harry Calls For 'Empathy And Compassion' At VAX Live Concert, Says 'We Need To Lift Up All Of Humanity'
May 5 2021, Updated 2:32 p.m. ET
Prince Harry is making his voice heard. The red-headed royal made a passionate speech about the distribution of vaccines at the taping of Global Citizen's VAX Live: The Concert To Reunite the World on Sunday, May 2.
"Hi everybody. We are at a defining moment in the global fight against COVID-19. Tonight is a celebration of each of you here, the vaccinated frontline workers in the audience and the millions of frontline heroes around the world," he began. "You spent the last year battling courageously and selflessly to protect us all. You served and sacrificed, put yourselves in harm's way and with bravery knowing the costs. We owe you an incredible depth of gratitude, thank you."
He continued, "But we're also coming together because this pandemic cannot end unless we act collectively with an unprecedented commitment to our shared humanity. The vaccine must be distributed to everyone everywhere. We cannot rest or truly recover until there is fair distribution to every corner of the world. The mission in front of us is one we cannot afford to fail out and that's what tonight is about. The virus does not respect borders and access to the vaccine cannot be determined by geography. It must be accepted as a basic right for all and that is our starting point."
"None of us should be comfortable thinking that we could be fine when so many others are suffering. In reality, and especially with this pandemic, when any suffer, we all suffer. We must look beyond ourselves with empathy and compassion for those we know, and those we don't. We need to lift up all of humanity and make sure that no person or community is left behind. What we do in this moment will stand in history and tonight, we stand in solidarity with the millions of families across India who are battling a devastating second wave," he concluded.
Harry and Meghan Markle — who wasn't present at the event since she is pregnant with baby No. 2 — are Campaign Chairs of VAX Live, which "aims to inspire vaccine confidence worldwide and help get the COVID-19 vaccines to everyone, everywhere."
The event — which was recorded on Sunday at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif., will be broadcast on May 8 — will be hosted by Selena Gomez and other celebs will make an appearance, including President Joe Biden, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, Kamala Harris, Ben Affleck, Chrissy Teigen and more.
Harry, 36, recently returned home to California in mid-April after flying to the U.K. for Prince Philip's funeral.
