Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announce opening of Covid-19 relief centre in India on third anniversary

The couple will build a facility in Mumbai through their Archewell Foundation

Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex announced plans to build a relief centre in India while marking their third wedding anniversary. Reuters

Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex are celebrating their third wedding anniversary with a new philanthropic initiative.

The couple, who marked their anniversary on Wednesday, used the occasion to reveal plans to build an emergency relief centre in India, as the country battles an ongoing Covid-19 crisis.

Through their Archewell Foundation, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will create the community centre as part of their ongoing partnership with World Central Kitchen.

Located in Mumbai, the centre is designed to initially provide aid and support, such as free meals, to locals during the country’s devastating second wave of the coronavirus.

On Wednesday, India's Health Ministry reported a record 4,529 deaths in the past 24 hours, driving the country's confirmed fatalities to 283,248.

The new community centre is designed to "provide relief and resilience (as well as healing and strength) for the communities in which they're based", the Archewell Foundation's website said.

"During future crises, these centres can be quickly activated as emergency response kitchens – or vaccination sites – and through calmer times they can serve as food distribution hubs, schools, clinics, or community gathering spaces for families."

An opening date for the centre has not yet been given.

Prince Harry and Meghan's non-profit teamed up with the World Central Kitchen in 2020 to establish four community relief centres.

The Mumbai centre is the third currently announced under the partnership, with a facility already built in Dominica and another in progress in Puerto Rico.

The WCK provides meals to those in need, typically in the wake of natural disasters, and has been delivering food to front-line workers in the US in recent months.

The NGO, founded in 2010 by celebrity chef Jose Andres, has already been working in India as the country battles its Covid-19 wave. WCK teams are present in 10 cities across the country, according to the non-profit, delivering 20,000 meals daily to frontline hospital workers and quarantine centres.

Scroll through the gallery below to see a timeline of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's relationship: