Princess Diana shaking hands with an Aids patient as she opens a new Aids ward at the Middlesex Hospital in 1987

PRINCESS DIANA SHAKING HANDS WITH AN AIDS PATIENT AS SHE OPENS A NEW AIDS WARD AT THE MIDDLESEX HOSPITAL IN 1987

 Anwar Hussein / WireImage via Getty Images
The late Diana, Princess of Wales is remembered for many things. Not only her relationship with her sons and her incredible sense of style, but also her philanthropic and charity work, and particularly her fearlessness when it came to spotlighting important issues.

Many will remember the images of her walking through Angolan minefields – something that was poignantly recreated on a later trip to the region by her son Prince Harry – or those of her comforting patients suffering with leprosy. Another such issue championed by the People’s Princess was gay rights, and specifically, ending the stigma against HIV/AIDs.

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In April 1987, at the height of the Aids epidemic, she opened the UK’s first HIV/AIDs unit at London Middlesex Hospital, a space that would exclusively care for patients living with the virus. Photographs of her taken at the event have become synonymous with her legacy for kindness, showing her shaking hands with a HIV positive man without gloves. At the time, many believed incorrectly that you could ‘catch’ HIV through touch, with the false reports about how it was spread. Her actions were revolutionary in convincing the public there was nothing to be afraid of.

Princess Diana shaking hands with one of the residents of Casey House an Aids Hospice in Toronto Canada in 1991

PRINCESS DIANA SHAKING HANDS WITH ONE OF THE RESIDENTS OF CASEY HOUSE, AN AIDS HOSPICE, IN TORONTO, CANADA IN 1991

 Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images
As Ian Green, chief executive of the HIV charity the Terrence Higgins Trust said in a 1997 interview, ‘Princess Diana was a true champion of HIV awareness. She brought passion to the cause, and did things which were truly remarkable. She was the first person of profile who was prepared to shake hands and touch people with HIV, which at the time was seen as a risk. This statement publicly challenged the notion that HIV was passed from person to person by touch.’

She continued to fight for an end to HIV and AIDs-related stigma throughout her life, becoming an official patron for the National AIDs Trust, and speaking at their events. At one in 1993, she talked of the impact on mothers and children, further dispelling the myth that it was purely a problem for the gay community, saying: ‘For those mothers and children already living under the shadow of AIDS, we need to help them back into the light, to reassure them and support their needs. And maybe we will learn from them how to live our own lives more fully, for however long it may be.’

Her cause has been picked up by the next generation, with her sons continuing to help fight the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDs, as well as the mental health issues suffered by LGBTQIA+ people. While Prince Harry took a HIV test live on television to show how easy it was, Prince William appeared on the cover of Attitude to discuss the mental health issues faced by victims of homophobia and transphobia.

What Diana’s legacy boils down to is this sentiment, which she shared with Martin Bashir in a 1995 interview. ‘Nothing brings me more happiness than trying to help the most vulnerable people in society. It is a goal and an essential part of my life, a kind of destiny.’