In honor of #WorldAIDSDay, let's talk about Princess Diana's HIV/AIDs advocacy! In season four of THE CROWN, we see Princess Diana’s visit to the Harlem Hospital pediatric AIDS unit in February of 1989. This is a cause Diana remained committed to throughout her life! (THREAD)

Two years before her trip to New York City, in 1987, Diana was invited to the opening of Middlesex Hospital AIDS ward, the first AIDS ward in the United Kingdom.

Diana refused to wear gloves while shaking the hands of the men in the ward. The image of the internationally beloved Princess treating HIV/AIDS patients like people—touching them, talking to them—helped to dispel fear and stigma that surrounded the virus.

Diana was a frequent visitor of London Lighthouse, which was at the time, the biggest facility for people living with HIV in Europe. She often visited without press, popping in to say hi to the patients there, always seeing them as people, not an illness.

In 2017, Prince Harry talked about the impact of that image as he accepted Attitude's Legacy Award on her behalf. “She was using her position as Princess of Wales...to reach out to those who need help... instead of pushing them away.”

Diana was a patron of the National AIDS Trust, a UK organization working to “stop HIV from standing in the way of health, dignity and equality.”

She remained a patron after her divorce and her retreat from public life, and worked with them until her death in 1997.
https://www.nat.org.uk/our-work 

In 1991, Diana gave a speech at the Children and AIDS Conference, saying: “HIV does not make people dangerous to know. You can shake their hands and give them a hug. Heaven knows they need it." Diana strove to remind us that people impacted by HIV/AIDS needed acceptance and care.

In a 1995 interview, Diana told Martin Bashir, “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.” It was her destiny, and the legacy she left behind.

Activists groups like @actupny had to fight to make their voices heard, staging protests and “die-ins” to garner media attention. Diana had a platform, and she used it to ask the rest of the world to listen.
https://actupny.com/ 

Princess Diana had the power to bring a spotlight to a cause she cared deeply about, but we would be remiss to erase the hard and tireless work of activists who demanded more.

We believe in taking our cues from the communities already doing the work, and amplifying their voices.
https://twitter.com/TheBodyDotCom 

The HIV/AIDS epidemic is far from over. So much has been accomplished since that photo of Diana was taken, but infection rates for Black and brown queer men are still high across the United States, and hundreds of thousands of people die as a result of HIV/AIDS worldwide.

If you want to honor the legacy and memory of Princess Diana, get involved with the HIV/AIDS activists in your community. Ask how you can help. Listen. Treat people with respect and kindness. It’s what she always did.