Prince Harry gave a speech about Princess Diana’s famous handshake with a man with HIV
On Thursday night during the Attitude Awards, Prince Harry gave a tribute to Princess Diana, making sure to highlight the spectacular work she did regarding the AIDS crisis that occurred a few decades back. It should go without saying that Princess Diana was a fantastic and altruistic human, but there was one moment Prince Harry shed a light on that changed everything.
Back in the late ’80s and early ’90s, many people were still confused about AIDS and HIV. In order to break the stigma and bring more education to the matter, Princess Diana shook the hands of those suffering, proving that it’s not something you can catch by touch.
Prince Harry stated that she was more interested in getting to know these people as people, and not as patients or statistics.
And according to Prince Harry, these moves were calculated.
Watch Prince Harry's speech as he collects the @AttitudeMag Legacy Award on behalf of his mother, the late Diana, Princess of Wales: pic.twitter.com/TRkOC7Ttzr
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) October 13, 2017
“When that April, she shook the hand of a 32-year-old man with HIV, in front of the cameras, she knew exactly what she was doing,” he said. “She was using her position as Princess of Wales – the most famous woman in the world – to challenge everyone to educate themselves, to find their compassion, and to reach out to those who need help instead of pushing them away.”
Unfortunately, she passed away before she really got to see how much improvement would be made regarding the treatment of both. But Prince Harry believes that if she was still around, she’d be continuing to support the cause, and make sure the treatments were widely available for everyone.
“She would be demanding that same access to treatment and testing for young people in Africa and across the world,” he said. “And she would, of course, be standing alongside those who are living openly, as healthy, happy and HIV-positive.”
We’ll never forget this wonderful woman, and we’re so glad that Prince Harry is so open with telling her story.
