Prince Harry has urged the public to “go and get a test” for HIV as he reflects on his late mother, Princess Diana’s work in breaking taboos surrounding the illness.
The Duke of Sussex sat down with former rugby player Gareth Thomas for a video call to mark National HIV Testing Week, which runs from 7-13 February.
Speaking from his home in California, Harry said: “Every single one of us has a duty, or at least an opportunity, to get tested ourselves or to make it easier for everybody else to get tested. And then it just becomes a regular thing like anything else.
“This testing week, especially in the UK, or wherever you are in the world, go and get a test. Let people know that you know your status. Do it!”
When asked why he feels so passionately about advocating for HIV awareness and treatment, the Duke said Princess Diana’s work was “unfinished”.
Diana, who died in a car crash in 1997, has long been praised for her efforts in ending stigmas around HIV and AIDS.
In April 1987, she opened the UK’s first specialist HIV/AIDS unit at London’s Middlesex Hospital.
At a time when many still believed HIV could be contracted through simple contact like hugging, she made a point to hug and shake the hands of those suffering from the virus, telling the public: “HIV does not make people dangerous to know. You can shake their hands and give them a hug.
“Heaven knows they need it. What’s more, you can share their homes, their workplaces, and their playgrounds and toys.”
Reflecting on Diana’s impact, Harry said he feels a duty to try and continue her work as much as possible.
“Once you get to meet people and you see the suffering around the world, I certainly can’t turn my back on that,” he said.
“I could never fill her [Diana’s] shoes, especially in this particular space, 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.
“What my mum did and so many other people did at that time was to smash that wall down, and kick the door open and say, ‘No, when people are suffering, then we need to learn more’.
“I’ve seen huge change. People are able and happy to talk about HIV so much more openly, but the stigma still exists and therefore the testing is still a problem.”
The UK has seen a significant decrease in HIV transmission in recent years thanks to a growing availability of HIV prevention pill PrEP, routine HIV testing and rapid treatment which stops those who are diagnosed from passing on the infection.
Earlier this week, figures from the UK Health Security Agency revealed that the number of new HIV diagnoses in heterosexual people are higher than those in gay and bisexual men for the first time in a decade.
In the year leading to December 2021, 45 per cent of all new diagnoses were in gay and bisexual men, while 50 per cent were in heterosexual men or women.
Additionally, more than half of heterosexual men and women were diagnosed at a late stage.
Terrence Higgins Trust, a charity that campaigns for HIV education, said this is likely driven by a belief among heterosexual men and women “that they are not at risk of HIV, which is often reinforced by healthcare professionals”.
As part of National HIV Testing Week, free HIV test kits are being made available to the public by the NHS.
Anyone who is sexually active is being encouraged to take a test, which can be ordered here.
