Prince Harry & Meghan Markle Break Silence On Afghanistan & Haiti Crises: ‘We Are Heartbroken’
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle also addressed the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in a joint statement, and said the worldwide crises have left them ‘heartbroken’ and ‘scared.’
Prince Harry, 36, and Meghan Markle, 40, have spoken out in a lengthy message of support amidst several world crises. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex released a joint statement via their Archewell Foundation and addressed the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, the devastating 7.2 magnitude earthquake that hit Haiti, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. “The world is exceptionally fragile right now,” the couple said in their statement, which was shared on Tuesday, Aug. 17.
“As we all feel the many layers of pain due to the situation in Afghanistan, we are left speechless,” Harry and Meghan said. “As we all watch the growing humanitarian disaster in Haiti, and the threat of it worsening after last weekend’s earthquake, we are left heartbroken. And as we all witness the continuing global health crisis, exacerbated by new variants and constant misinformation, we are left scared.” The parents of two went on to say that when “any person or community suffers, a piece of each of us does so with them, whether we realize it or not.”
Meghan and Harry then put their attention towards helping others, asking all to support organizations that can assist in these crises, such as the World Central Kitchen, which is providing emergency efforts in Haiti, and Vax Live and Global Citizen, both of which promote COVID-19 vaccine awareness and accessibility. The couple also called on world leaders to “rapidly advance the humanitarian dialogues” at expected upcoming events like the U.N. General Assembly and the G20 Leaders’ Summit. “As an international community, it is the decisions we make now — to alleviate suffering among those we know and those we may never meet — that will prove our humanity,” Meghan and Harry said to conclude their statement.
While Harry and Meghan have stepped down as senior members of the royal family and now live in California with their two children, they continue to work towards humanitarian efforts with their Archewell Foundation. Their latest statement comes after Harry, who served two tours in Afghanistan as part of the British Army, shared his own message to military veterans regarding the country’s Taliban resurgence in a joint statement with Invictus Games CEO Dominic Reid on Aug. 16.
“What’s happening in Afghanistan resonates across the international Invictus community,” Harry and Dominic’s statement said. “Many of the participating nations and competitors in the Invictus Games family are bound by a shared experience of serving in Afghanistan over the past two decades. We encourage everybody across the Invictus network — and the wider military community — to reach out to each other and offer support for one another,” the statement concluded.