Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle are to appear at a star-studded ‘Covid vaccine concert’ in Los Angeles alongside President Joe Biden
The aim of the event is to promote the coronavirus vaccine and call on businesses to “donate dollars for doses”.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were named as “campaign chairs” of Vax Live: The Concert to Reunite the World.
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MSN reports: US President Joe Biden, his wife, Jill Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will all make appearances as part of the drive to increase public confidence and uptake of the vaccine.
The event, to be held on May 2, will call on G7 governments to share excess doses and for pharmaceutical companies, including US-based Moderna, to make vaccines available at not-for-profit prices.
It is billed as the first large-scale music event for a Covid-compliant audience of frontline healthcare and essential workers and will be broadcast on May 8.
Participants will call for commitments from governments, the private sector, and philanthropists toward the equitable distribution of vaccines worldwide.
The Duke and Duchess will deliver “an important global message for vaccine equity” during the event, held at the SoFi Stadium in LA.
The couple have also been leading a drive to raise funds for the vaccine-sharing programme COVAX from the private sector, it emerged.
A spokesperson for the Sussexes declined to say whether they would appear at the concert in person or on screen.
The couple said in a statement: “Over the past year, our world has experienced pain, loss, and struggle – together.
“Now we need to recover and heal – together. We can’t leave anybody behind. We will all benefit, we will all be safer, when everyone everywhere has equal access to the vaccine. We must pursue equitable vaccine distribution, and in that, restore faith in our common humanity. This mission couldn’t be more critical or important.”
The heavily pregnant Duchess is likely to be on maternity leave by that point and is thought to be expecting their second child, a daughter, in early June.
The event is being organised by Global Citizen, an anti-poverty action group.
French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković will also appear at the concert.
Among the celebrities taking part will be the Sussexes’ friend and CBS anchor Gayle King, Ben Affleck, Chrissy Teigen, David Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel and Sean Penn.
Hosted by Selena Gomez, it will feature performances from Jennifer Lopez, Eddie Vedder, and Foo Fighters.
