The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have added their names to an open letter calling out COVID-19 vaccine inequality.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have called for an end to vaccine inequality

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have called for an end to vaccine inequality

The royal couple joined world leaders, scientists and faith leaders and activists to sign in signing the People’s Vaccine that urges the break up of “vaccine monopolies” - that are impacting poorer countries disproportionately - on the second anniversary of the pandemic that has led to more than six million deaths worldwide.

The letter began: "Two years since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a global pandemic – and faced with disturbingly unequal access to COVID-19 vaccines – we urge world leaders to do what is necessary to end this crisis and unite behind a People's Vaccine."

It calls for the UK, the EU and Switzerland for "block[ing] the lifting of intellectual property rules which would enable the redistribution and scale-up of COVID-19 vaccines, test and treatment manufacturing in the global south."

They declared it “immoral” and “self-defeating” and a scientific “failure” before calling for a People’s Vaccine.

The letter continued: "The current approach is immoral, entirely self-defeating and also an ethical, economic and epidemiological failure."

"Now we are reuniting, in greater numbers, and with utmost urgency repeating our call for a People's Vaccine. We appeal to world leaders to end this strategy of counter-productive nationalism and of protecting pharmaceutical monopolies and to finally act with international solidarity. Now is the time to renew the commitments made at the founding of the World Health Organization, where all states agreed to deliver 'the highest attainable standard of health as a fundamental right of every human being.'”

Prince Harry, 37, and Meghan Markle, 40 - who share three-year-old son Archie and nine-month-old Lili and moved to California in 2020- have rallied for a more global approach to the vaccine previously.

In September 2021, Meghan said: "Every single person on this planet has a fundamental right to get this vaccine. That's the point, but that's not happening and while in this country and many others, you can go almost anywhere and get vaccinated, billions of people around the world cannot. This year, the world's expected to produce enough doses to meet the target of vaccinating 70% of people in every single country. But it is wrong that so much of the vaccine supply has only gone to just 10 wealthy nations so far, and not everyone else. It's just not okay."

Harry said: "Guys, we have what we need to vaccinate the world, but the experts told us, here's what's getting in the way. They said many countries are ready to produce vaccines at home, yet they aren't allowed to, because ultra-wealthy pharmaceutical companies are not sharing the recipes to make them. These countries have the means, the ability and the workers to start manufacturing. All they're waiting for is the vaccine intellectual property to be waived and for the vaccine technology to be transferred over. And by the way, many of these vaccines were publicly funded. They are your vaccines, you paid for them."

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