Prince Harry gets standing ovation at Vax Live charity concert in LA

Prince Harry received a standing ovation after he offered a heartfelt thank you to front-line workers and urged Americans to ‘look beyond ourselves with empathy and compassion’ during the star-studded Vax Live charity concert in Los Angeles. 

Harry was among many high profile stars – including Jennifer Lopez, Selena Gomez and Ben Affleck – to take the stage at Sunday night’s concert taping hosted by Global Citizen at the So-Fi Stadium in Inglewood, where the crowd featured only fully-vaccinated guests. 

The concert promoting equitable distribution of coronavirus vaccines worldwide marked Harry’s first public appearance in the US since his late grandfather Prince Philip’s funeral and since he and wife Meghan Markle – who was not present at the stadium – gave their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey last month. 

‘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,’ the 36-year-old royal told the cheering crowd. 

‘You spent the last year battling courageously and selflessly to protect us all. You served and sacrificed, put yourselves in harm’s way, and acted with bravery, knowing the costs. We owe you an incredible debt of gratitude. Thank you.’  

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'

‘You spent the last year battling courageously and selflessly to protect us all,’ Harry told the ‘millions of front-line heroes around the world’

Harry was all smiles as he addressed the crowd without his wife Meghan Markle on Sunday night

Harry was all smiles as he addressed the crowd without his wife Meghan Markle on Sunday night

Harry was all smiles as he addressed the crowd without his wife Meghan Markle on Sunday night 

Harry 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 dramatic address Harry said: ‘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.’ 

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.  

This is a developing story.  

During the taping on Sunday night the crowd watched a message from President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden

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 and Guadalupe Rodriguez teamed up for a performance at Sunday night’s concert taping

The concert was hosted by Selena Gomez, who also took the stage to perform

The concert was hosted by Selena Gomez, who also took the stage to perform

The concert was hosted by Selena Gomez, who also took the stage to perform