Duchess Meghan celebrates 'quiet heroes' of Covid-19 pandemic

The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, has paid tribute to the “quiet heroes” of the Covid-19 pandemic who ensured their communities' “most basic needs were met”.

The duchess made these remarks during a surprise appearance during the CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute special, which aired on Sunday.

CNN Heroes honours ordinary people committed to make the world a better place and is usually broadcast in front of a live audience, but this year, due to Covid-19, was pre-recorded.

A fresh-faced Meghan, sitting on a bench in a garden, heaped praises on those people who helped feed the hungry during the pandemic, saying, “In a year that has been universally challenging for everyone, I'm inspired by the stories of compassion in our communities.

“Across the country, people have put their own needs aside to come together to support the collective wellbeing of those around them. Back in March, the Covid crisis hit hard and overnight everything seemed to change. For many families, the impact of the pandemic has been catastrophic and far too many were faced with a heartbreaking question: how am I going to put food on the table for my family?

“But in the face of this devastating reality, we also saw the power of the human spirit and the remarkable ways that communities respond in challenging times. We saw the good in people, in our neighbours and in entire communities coming together to say that they would not stand by while our neighbours went hungry.”

Markle celebrated these “heroes”, some of whom she knows and “others that we applaud from afar” for ensuring the “most basic needs of our communities were met”.

“They made sure that those around them did not have to suffer in isolation, they nourished their neighbours in more ways than one,” she said.

Other stars to pay tribute included Angela Bassett, Orlando Bloom, Yara Shahidi and Glenn Close.