Penned Open Letter for COVID-19 Vaccine Access

Between 2021 and 2022, Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, publicly supported global COVID-19 vaccine equity by co-signing and promoting a series of open letters aimed at governments, pharmaceutical companies, and international organizations. Their advocacy centered on expanding access to vaccines in low- and middle-income countries during a period when distribution remained uneven across regions. On 16/05/2021, the couple participated in the “Vax Live: The Concert to Reunite the World,” organized by Global Citizen, where they called for vaccine access to be treated as a basic human right. Around the same period, they joined global leaders, public health experts, and humanitarian organizations in signing open letters urging G7 nations and vaccine manufacturers to waive intellectual property protections and increase vaccine production. These efforts aligned with campaigns such as the People’s Vaccine Alliance, which pushed for broader sharing of vaccine technology and resources. In subsequent months, including into 2022, the Duke and Duchess continued to lend their support to coordinated appeals advocating equitable vaccine distribution. Their statements emphasized that global recovery from the pandemic depended on ensuring access beyond wealthier nations. The phrase “birthplace should not determine their ability to survive” became closely associated with their messaging, underscoring disparities in vaccination rates between high-income and developing countries at the time. Their involvement was part of a wider coalition effort that included international NGOs, former heads of state, and public figures seeking to influence policy decisions on vaccine access and manufacturing. While the open letters did not directly enact policy changes, they contributed to sustained global attention on vaccine inequity during a critical phase of the pandemic response.