Harry plays the rock star: Prince walks on to a standing ovation and tells crowd they are 'awesome' as he joins stars at 'Vax Live' Covid concert in LA and urges audience to 'look beyond ourselves with empathy and compassion'
- Prince Harry made his appearance at the Vax Live charity concert at LA's So-Fi Stadium on Sunday night
- Duke of Sussex told the audience of vaccinated frontline workers 'every single one of you are awesome'
- It was his first public appearance in the US since grandfather Prince Philip's funeral and Oprah interviewPrince Harry had his name in lights as he was greeted with wild cheers and a standing ovation by a rapturous crowd before a speech at a star-studded concert in Los Angeles on Sunday - in his first public appearance since Prince Philip's funeral.
Harry, 36, told the audience of vaccinated frontline workers 'every single one of you are awesome' as he appeared at Vax Live - an initiative to encourage rich countries to share vaccines.
After an announcer read out an introduction, 'Please welcome Vax Live campaign chair Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex', the royal walked onto the stage to a rock star-style reception, with his name beamed in giant letters on a flashing screen behind him.
Harry, whose pregnant wife, Meghan Markle, stayed at home, delivered a five-minute address calling for vaccines to be shared with poorer countries, which was regularly punctuated by more rapturous cheers.
Speaking in a markedly different accent than his previous Queen's English, Harry said: '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.'
The event - which was being recorded for broadcast on TV at a later date - was the first speech Harry had given since he and Meghan made a series of damning claims about their family during an appearance on Oprah. The Duchess of Sussex is expected to be recording a message to appear in the final broadcast.
The royal was among many high profile stars - including Jennifer Lopez, Selena Gomez and Ben Affleck - to take the stage at Vax Live, which was hosted by campaign organisation Global Citizen at the So-Fi Stadium in Inglewood.
Prince Harry's name in lights at the event, which was attended by a series of Hollywood A-listers including Jennifer Lopez
Prince Harry received a standing ovation after he offered a heartfelt thank you to front-line workers during the star-studded Vax Live charity concert in Los Angeles on Sunday
'You spent the last year battling courageously and selflessly to protect us all,' Harry told the 'millions of front-line heroes around the world'
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Nomzamo Mbatha, star of Coming 2 America, speak onstage during the Global Citizen VAX LIVE event in CaliforniaHarry and Meghan, 39, are Campaign Chairs of Vax Live, which 'aims to inspire vaccine confidence worldwide and help get the COVID-19 vaccines to everyone, everywhere' - according to Global Citizen.
In promoting the event organizers said the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would deliver 'an important global message for vaccine equity'.
Meghan, who is several months' pregnant with the couple's second child, trusted Harry to share that message on her behalf as she stayed home on Sunday.
In his address Harry said: '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.
'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: 'We're 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.'
Prior to a section on 'misinformation', the prince said: 'Hi guys, this next bit is a bit dry but very serious. But before I start I just want to say every single one of you in here are awesome, thank you.
'I understand why people are confused or sometimes don't know what to think or believe about vaccines. We are experiencing a viral pandemic alongside a digital pandemic.
'In today's world we are so connected, and much like the virus there are no virus online. So when vaccine misinformation and disinformation spreads, magnified on social media and in parts of traditional media, it poses a collective threat to humanity.
'I believe that misinformation is a global humanitarian crisis and the crisis is getting worse.'
The concert is slated to air May 8 on ABC, CBS, Fox, YouTube and iHeartMedia radio stations. It will encourage donations to help meet a goal of ensuring vaccinations for 27 million health-care workers worldwide.
Other headliners will include President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who will seek to 'increase public confidence in COVID-19 vaccines while reinforcing basic prevention measures, such as mask wearing and social distancing', Global Citizen said.
Also appearing will be: French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Croatia Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and celebrities Chrissy Teigen, David Letterman, Gayle King, Jimmy Kimmel, Olivia Munn and Sean Penn.
During the taping on Sunday night the crowd watched a message from President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden
Jennifer Lopez and Guadalupe Rodriguez teamed up for a performance at Sunday night's concert taping
Jennifer Lopez made several outfit changes during her set at the So-Fi Stadium on Sunday night
Batman star Ben Affleck and Jimmy Kimmel stepped up together to address the crowd - with the late night host dressed as Robin
Jimmy Kimmel and Ben Affleck joke together backstage at the Vax Live concert
Harry stepped out on Sunday without wife Meghan Markle (pictured during their bombshell Oprah interview in March)
Selena Gomez, 28, was on hand to host the event on Sunday night, while Jennifer Lopez, 51, was among its most high-profile performers.
Both women looked stunning as they took over the red carpet before everyone filed into their seats.
The concert marked the biggest event to take place yet at the So-Fi Stadium, which opened in the midst of the pandemic last September.
The stadium has space for 70,000 people but it was unclear how many were slated to attend the Vax Live concert.
The ticket disclaimer required all attendees to have received their final dose of COVID-19 vaccine no later than April 18 - allowing the required two-week time frame to be considered fully vaccinated.
Chrissy Teigen added some more color to the charity concert with a silky orange off-the-shoulder dress
No comments: