The Iconic Photo of Princess Diana That Changed the World’s View of AIDS

Princess Diana was “The People’s Princess.” She was bigger than the crown that, in her eyes, loomed in the distance like a firing squad. She didn’t care about notoriety or sitting back and letting everyone do the work for her.

We learned in the end that the paparazzi were not her friends, but during her time on Earth, she was able to harness their influence to her advantage. Not to bring attention to herself, but to cast a spotlight on those who needed the world to know of their sufferings.

Diana was a true humanitarian and caring soul. She led the campaign for a worldwide ban on landmines, raised awareness of leprosy, made frequent visits to homeless shelters, and comforted children with cancer. We found out many details about her life after her tragic death, including how unhappy she was in her marriage and how she felt like an outcast amongst the royal family.

However, she used her fame and influence to truly help as many people in the world as she could. One community that benefited greatly from her endeavors and overall kindness was those living with HIV and AIDS. She was able to change the world’s perception of the disease and those suffering from it with a single handshake.

On April 9, 1987, Princess Diana was invited to London’s Middlesex Hospital for the opening of the Broderip Ward, their first ward dedicated to the care of AIDS and HIV patients. The first official AIDS case was reported in 1981, but at the time of Diana’s visit, it had still not been given much attention in the areas of research, education, and standard testing.

This was due to AIDS mostly affecting gay men and therefore it was seen as “their own fault” by the homophobic public, scientists, and medical personnel. At the time, so little was known about the disease, that it was thought that you could “catch” the disease by simply touching an affected person.

Diana was very nervous about making such a public statement on such a controversial topic when it seemed as though no other public figures were making mention of it. She followed her heart however and did what she felt needed to be done. She agreed to not only visit but be photographed shaking the hands of patients without wearing gloves.

Patients were even nervous to be photographed shaking the hand of a princess due to the public shaming that surrounded them. Only one man agreed to have his picture taken, but only if taken from behind him. That man was 32-year-old Ivan Cohen.

Diana continued her work to bring awareness to the AIDS epidemic throughout the 1990s and used her position to further research, education, and proper care to its victims. During a speech at the Children and AIDS Conference in April 1991, she stated,

“HIV does not make people dangerous to know, so you can shake their hands and give them a hug. Heaven knows they need it.”

The only thing that Diana enjoyed more than helping people was being a mother. As a mother to two princes, she instilled the desire to help others and caring hearts in her sons.

In 2006, her son, Prince Harry co-founded Sentebale, a charity supporting the mental health of children and young people affected by AIDS in Lesotho, Botswana, and Malawi.

In Barbados in 2016, he along with fellow advocate Rihanna agreed to publicly undergo two AIDS tests to remove the stigma associated with getting tested.

It was in 2017 that Harry accepted the Attitude Legacy Award on his mother’s behalf and stated during his speech,

“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. 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.”

And that she did.

***Story previously published on Medium.com by the author***