Meghan Markle made her first television appearance since her now-viral sit down with Oprah Winfrey. The 39-year-old Duchess was amongst the closing appearances in Global Citizen’s star-studded “VAX Live: The Concert to Reunite the World” on Saturday, May 8. Donning a cheer red floral shirt dress by Carolina Herrera and letting her chocolatey tresses cascade down, pregnant Meghan glowed while sitting on a bench outside. The mom-of-one spoke candidly about the importance of coming together and, specifically, supporting women.
“The past year has been defined by communities coming together tirelessly and heroically to tackle COVID-19,” Meghan, who serves as a campaign chair of Vax Live, began in her virtual speech. “And 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.”
“Women, and especially women of color, have seen a generation of economic gain wiped out,” she continued to say. “Since the pandemic began, nearly five-and-a-half million women have lost work in the U.S. And 47 million more women around the world are expected to slip into extreme poverty.” The Cali girl then touched on her and Prince Harry’s future little girl.
“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 said. “When we think of her, we think of all the young women and girls around the globe who must be given the ability and the 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 set all of us up, for a successful, equitable, compassionate tomorrow.”
She capped things off by echoing a statement made throughout the evening: “We want to make sure that as we recover, we recover stronger. That as we rebuild, we rebuild together. Thank you.“ Her husband Harry, who is also a campaign chair, appeared in person at the pre-recorded LA event. The royal urged that the vaccine must be distributed to everyone everywhere in order to move forward. “The virus does not respect borders, access cannot be determined by geography. It must be a basic right for all.”