Harry and Meghan pay tribute to the people of Ukraine during awards show

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have paid tribute to the people of Ukraine after appearing in person at an awards ceremony in the US.

Harry and Meghan won the President’s Award at the NAACP Image Awards which recognised their special achievement and distinguished public service.

Taking to the stage, Prince Harry said: “We would like to acknowledge the people of Ukraine, who urgently need our continued support as a global community.”

His comments came as many Ukrainian cities were bombed by Russian forces overnight.

Russian troops have now entered the second city of Kharkiv, while missiles targeting oil and gas refineries set off huge explosions.

Prince Harry also said he and his wife had been “brought together for a reason” and shared a “commitment to a life of service”.

“I think it’s safe to say I come from a very different background to my incredible wife, yet our lives were brought together for a reason,” he said.

“We share a commitment to a life of service, a responsibility to confront injustice and a belief that the most overlooked are often the most important to listen to.”

Meghan added: “I couldn’t be prouder that we’re doing this work together.”

“We are so deeply humbled to be here in the company of such illustrious awardees.”

The Sussexes’ Archewell Foundation is supporting a new NAACP-Archewell Digital Civil Rights Award, which recognises leaders creating “transformational change at the intersection of social justice and technology”.

“This community knows what it means to speak up for what is right and to march forward is just,” said Harry.

“As the fight for justice for justice still remains, it’s time to extend this march to the world online, a place where hate and discrimination are fuelled instantly, propagated globally and felt deeply.”

Meghan added: “This is the era of the digital justice movement. We are proud to partner with NAACP and each of you to translate the vital efforts of those who came before us to the modern challenges that exist ahead of us.”

Harry wore a tuxedo while his wife wore a long blue dress, revealing her mother had also joined them for the occasion.

At the top of his speech, Harry acknowledged the ongoing crisis in Ukraine and called for support for the country’s people from the global community.

The NAACP, which stands for the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People, was set up in 1909 in response to ongoing violence against black people.

It is the US’s largest and most preeminent civil rights organisation, with more than two million activists.

Its Image Awards celebrate outstanding achievements and performances of black and minority ethnic people in the arts.