Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan are set to make their first public appearance since welcoming baby Lilibet in June!
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will travel to New York City this coming weekend to take part in the Global Citizen Live event at Central Park's Great Lawn on Sept. 25. They're expected to make speeches during their appearance, in which they will urge world leaders to continue to make COVID-19 vaccines available to everyone, regardless of their economic situation.
Plenty of stars are also expected to be on hand for the event, which will call on world leaders to share 1 billion vaccine doses with those who urgently need them. Jennifer Lopez, Lizzo and Coldplay will be among the performers in New York, and the broadcast will also take place in multiple cities around the world.
Earlier this year, Meghan and Harry appeared during VAX LIVE: The Concert to Reunite the World. Also held by Global Citizen, it raised money for COVAX, the global initiative aimed at making COVID-19 vaccines available to everyone, directed by the World Health Organization and other groups.
Harry gave a speech during the event, which was pre-recorded, and Meghan appeared via video from what looked like the couple's Montecito, Calif. home. They both spoke against misinformation and vaccine skepticism during the pandemic, urged people to get vaccinated and called for world leaders to help those around the world having difficulty accessing vaccines. Meghan was pregnant with Lilibet at the time.
"We cannot rest or truly recover until there is fair distribution to every corner of the world," Harry said at the time. "The virus does not respect borders and access to the vaccine cannot be determined by geography."
Meghan spoke about the way the pandemic has affected women.
"With the surge in gender-based violence, the increased responsibility of unpaid care work, and new obstacles that have reversed so much progress for women in the workplace, we're at an inflection point for gender equity," she said, adding nearly five-and-a-half million women in the United States had lost their jobs, and 47 million more around the world were at risk of poverty due to the pandemic.
"Women – especially women of colour – have seen a generation of economic gain wiped out."
Last week, Harry and Meghan were named to TIME magazine's 100 Most Influential People list. The Sussexes got their own cover, which marks the first time they've posed together for a magazine cover photoshoot.
In the accompanying feature, Harry and Meghan were profiled by World Central Kitchen Founder and chef José Andrés. The Archewell Foundation and World Central Kitchen have previously partnered to help feed communities that have been devastated by natural disasters.
"In a world where everyone has an opinion about people they don't know, the duke and duchess have compassion for the people they don't know," José wrote. "They don't just opine. They run toward the struggle," wrote the chef of Harry and Meghan.
We're looking forward to seeing Harry and Meghan again!
