Prince Harry, son of Princess Diana, commemorated his mother’s tireless advocacy for HIV/AIDS awareness and treatment on the 40th anniversary of the Terrence Higgins Trust, a sexual-health charity founded in memory of Terry Higgins, one of the UK’s first AIDS victims. Princess Diana was one of the few public figures during the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 1980s to visibly treat people living with HIV with compassion and humanity, visiting people with HIV and AIDS across the world.
In 1987, she opened the first HIV/AIDS unit at London’s Middlesex Hospital, where she challenged the beliefs of some that the virus could be spread by day-to-day contact by shaking hands with an HIV patient without wearing gloves.
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Prince Harry released a statement acknowledging his mother’s efforts, stating that she led with empathy and found the humanity in all around her, demonstrating the power of connection in the face of fear. Although she did not live to see the success of today’s treatments, he felt immense pride in continuing her advocacy with the Terrence Higgins Trust.
The charity held a sale at London’s Christie’s auction house to raise funds for its work supporting people living with HIV, testing, and research, with famous artists donating their works to the auction. Prince Harry encouraged everyone to do their part in eradicating stigma and donating resources to end new transmissions of HIV, pledging to make England the first country to end new HIV cases by 2030.
Despite significant progress in the past 40 years, Prince Harry emphasized that it is crucial to continue efforts to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic, celebrating an end to the epidemic for all in the future.
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