PRINCE Harry has caused a flurry of excitement among royal fans following his latest appearance where he vowed to continue his mother Diana’s “unfinished” work to eradicate the stigma around HIV.
The Duke of Sussex, 37, has collaborated with former Welsh rugby captain Gareth Thomas, who lives with HIV, to create a video to raise awareness about the disease. Both men urged people to “know your status” and get tested, with Harry saying he wants to follow in his mother’s footsteps by working to eliminate stigma and misunderstanding about the virus.
In the video, Harry – who appears to be at his Montecito home – mentions the medical community’s “extraordinary” progress in making HIV a “manageable disease.”
The Duke, who will step down from royal duties in 2020, stressed, however, that “we have to finish the job.”
The couple agreed that more needs to be done to meet the UK’s goal of eliminating new HIV cases by 2030.
Harry explained that in the 35 years since his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, opened the first Aids unit at London’s Middlesex Hospital, more and more people have begun to speak openly about the condition.
The specialist HIV/AIDS unit opened in April 1987 and famously pictured shaking hands with Aids patients to debunk the myth that the disease could be spread through touch.
She said: “HIV does not make people dangerous to know. You can shake their hands and give them a hug. Heaven knows they need it.
“What’s more, you can share their homes, their workplaces, and their playgrounds and toys.”
Harry explains that he feels “obligated” to continue Diana’s work on combatting the stigma around HIV, as she “smashed the wall down”.
He also said she created “empathy and understanding, but also curiosity” at that time.
