Prince Charles has warned that coronavirus ‘threatens to run riot and wreak utter havoc’ in vulnerable populations as he delivered a video message in support of a humanitarian organisation.
Speaking from his Aberdeenshire home of Birkhall, the Prince of Wales, 71, said 70 million refugees and displaced people in places such as Syria and Cameroon are most at threat from the disease.
In a video message, the heir to throne, who has recently recovered from coronavirus, said that the ‘situation is desperately grave’ in areas of ‘conflict and crisis’ where hospital beds are a ‘rarity’ and ‘livelihoods are precarious even without the additional threat of this disease’.
The prince’s comments were made in support of the International Rescue Committee (IRC), founded by Albert Einstein, which aims to help people survive and recover after their lives have been disrupted by conflict and disaster.
Prince of Wales, 71, warned that 70 million refugees and displaced people in places such as Syria and Cameroon are most at threat during the coronavirus pandemic
Charles, who is the UK patron of the IRC, has also donated an undisclosed amount to its coronavirus appeal.
In the clip, Prince Charles said: ‘In these places, the situation is desperately grave. Some 70 million refugees and displaced people are vulnerable in ways few of us can imagine.
‘Just think for a moment: How do you socially distance in a crowded, sprawling refugee camp?
‘How do you protect yourself, and your family, from this virus when you don’t have basic access to soap and water?
Prince Charles has lent his support to the International Rescue Committee, donating an undisclosed amount to their cause (pictured, with his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, 72, Berlin, Germany, last May, where they met with participants of a project involving women’s refugees managed by the International Rescue Committee)
The prince added: ‘How do you keep up hope when doctors and nurses are nowhere to be seen?
‘The answer lies in organisations with the experience, the expertise and the determination to help in the most difficult circumstances imaginable.’
He continued: ‘The International Rescue Committee is working in those countries where the situation is most grave, where people are the most vulnerable and where this virus threatens to run riot and wreak utter havoc – if we let it.’
A new report by the IRC has estimated that without swift action, the world could see up to one billion infections and 3.2 million deaths due to Covid-19 over the course of the pandemic in 34 crisis-affected countries where the IRC works.
Charles, who is the UK patron of the IRC has also donated an undisclosed amount to its coronavirus appeal
While in self-isolation during his recovery from Covid-19 last month, Charles held a meeting over the phone with David Miliband, president and chief executive of the IRC.
Speaking after the call, the former foreign secretary said Prince Charles was ‘very engaged’ with the crisis people are facing in the UK.
Mr Miliband said: ‘He was in very good spirits, he was obviously very engaged with the situation facing people in the UK.’
He added: ‘I was very struck about how he was very concerned about the global picture as well as his first priority being in the UK…’
Prince Charles shared the video from his home Birkhall in Aberdeenshire where he is currently isolating with Camilla
The IRC responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises with the aim of restoring health, safety, education, economic wellbeing and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster.
Laura Kyrke-Smith, executive director of the IRC in the UK, said: ‘There remains a small window of time to mount a robust response to Covid-19 while it is still in early stages in fragile countries.
She added: ‘Which is why we are so grateful to have the Prince of Wales’s support at this crucial time and would ask those who can to join him in supporting our work.’
Charles was made patron of the IRC in January, and became the first UK patron after opening its first office in the country in 1997.