Harry and Meghan issue joint statement: ‘We’re left heartbroken and scared’

‘When any person or community suffers, a piece of each of us does so with them, whether we realise it or not’

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have issued a statement on the “exceptionally fragile” state of the world amid the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan and humanitarian crisis in Haiti.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle published the joint statement on their Archewell Foundation website, calling on people to support organisations carrying out relief work, and using global leaders to “rapidly advance” humanitarian talks.

The couple wrote: “As we all feel the many layers of pain due to the situation in Afghanistan, we are left speechless. 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.

“When any person or community suffers, a piece of each of us does so with them, whether we realise it or not. And though we are not meant to live in a state of suffering, we, as a people, are being conditioned to accept it.”

The Sussexes encouraged people to join them in “supporting a number of organisations doing critical work”, including the World Central Kitchen’s recovery efforts in Haiti and partnerships with Vax Live and Global Citizen.

“We also urge those in positions of global influence to rapidly advance the humanitarian dialogues that are expected to take place this fall at multilateral gatherings such as the UN General Assembly and the G20 Leader’s Summit,” they added.

“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.”

Haiti was struck by a 7.2-magnitude earthquake on Saturday, killing at least 1,419 people and displacing thousands more whose homes were destroyed. The Caribbean nation is also now grappling with a tropical storm that has drenched the area hardest hit by the earthquake.

In Afghanistan, the Taliban has seized control of the capital city, Kabul, following the withdrawal of Western troops. Scenes of thousands of Afghans trying to flee the country have gripped international headlines since the weekend.

Harry issued a statement earlier on Tuesday together with Dominic Reid, CEO of the Invictus Games, urging military veterans to support one another.

The joint statement read: “What’s happening in Afghanistan resonates across the international Invictus community.

“We encourage everybody across the Invictus network – and the wider military community – to reach out to each other and offer support for one another.”