Prince Harry vows to continue Diana’s HIV work
30-minute video chat with gay, former rugby player Gareth Thomas.The Welsh sporting legend publicly revealed he was living with HIV in 2019 after tabloid newspapers threatened to out him.During the video chat, the Prince urged people to “go and get a test” and to “know your status”Prince Harry described himself as “a typical guy” who just wants to “fix things”, and said he feels an “obligation” to try to continue his late mother’s bid to remove stigma surrounding the virusRelated: Gay former British soldier says Prince Harry protected him from homophobic abuseHis mom, the late Princess Diana, famously visited AIDS wards in the 1980s and made headlines for holding the hands of gay men who were ill with the virus.
At the time, this simple gesture helped tackle some of the stigma faced by those living with HIV.“I could never fill her shoes, especially in this particular space,” Harry said, “but because of what she did and what she stood for and how vocal she was about this issue… it’s a converging of all these different pieces.”“There’s a way out of it, and if there’s a way out of it and we know there’s a solution, I’m like a typical guy.
I just want to help fix things.”This is not the first time Harry has campaigned to raise awareness around HIV. On two previous occasions, he has been filmed getting an HIV test, including in December 2016 when he did so with Rihanna in Barbados on World AIDS Day.
He has also been to countries such as Lesotho and Botswana, where HIV has previously had a devastating impact.Asked by Thomas why he cared about this issue, Harry said, “Once you get to meet people and you see the suffering around the world, I certainly can’t turn my back on that.
