Meghan Markle made a special appearance during Global Citizen’s VAX Live: The Concert to Reunite the World on Saturday night. Though she couldn’t attend the actual taping of the special like her husband Prince Harry, the Duchess of Sussex made sure to show her support for the cause by sharing a pretaped video message. In her speech, she echoed Harry’s previous sentiments about communities coming together amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’ve gathered tonight because the road ahead is getting brighter, but it’s going to take every one of us to find our way forward,” Meghan said. “As campaign chairs of VAX LIVE, my husband and I believe it’s critical that our recovery prioritizes the health, safety and success of everyone, and particularly women who have been disproportionately affected by this pandemic. Women, and especially women of color, have seen a generation of economic gain wiped out. Since the pandemic began, nearly 5.5 million women have lost work in the U.S., and 47 million more women around the world are expected to slip into extreme poverty.”
Meghan, who is expecting her second child with Harry later this summer, then took a moment to share her hopes for her own daughter’s future amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “My husband and I are thrilled to soon be welcoming a daughter. It’s a feeling of joy we share with millions of other families around the world,” she continued. “When we think of her, we think of all the young women and girls around the globe who must be given the ability and support to lead us forward. Their future leadership depends on the decisions we make and the actions we take now to set them up, and to set all of us up, for a successful, equitable and compassionate tomorrow. We want to make sure that as we recover, we recover stronger; that as we rebuild, we rebuild together.” You can watch her full speech at the 1:36:57 mark above.