The Duke of Sussex says he feels “obligated” to carry on his late mother Princess Diana’s campaign to battle HIV stigma since she “smashed the wall.”

Prince Harry, 37, chatted with Gareth Thomas to honour the UK’s National HIV Testing Week about what motivates him to promote awareness.

“I believe that once you meet people and realise the suffering around the world, you can’t turn your back on it. Add to that the fact that my mother’s work was undone, and I feel obligated to attempt to complete it as much as possible “He stated. “I could never replace her shoes, especially in this arena, but I admire her for what she did, what she stood for, and how vocal she was about this problem.

“But it’s the convergence of all these different aspects, the work she was doing, trying to continue that, trying to finish the job, but once you’ve met so many people, heard people’s stories, seen the pain, especially in Lesotho and Botswana, where I’ve seen it, it’s difficult to continue.

Princess Diana opened the UK’s first specialised HIV/AIDS unit at London’s Middlesex Hospital in April 1987. “People infected with HIV are not harmful to know. You can shake their hands and hug them. They are in desperate need of it, to say the least “She stated. “In addition, you can share their houses, workplaces, playgrounds, and toys.”

Speaking from his Montecito home, Harry stated that his mother was instrumental in “breaking down the wall” and instilling “empathy, understanding, but also curiosity” at the time.

“I think it was incredibly effective to arouse the curiosity of ‘Hang on, we don’t know anything about this virus.’ Can we at least learn more instead of being so critical and judgmental right from the start?’ “He informed Gareth.

The Duke and Gareth have both participated in National Testing HIV Week and the campaign to get more individuals tested on a regular basis. When Harry tested positive for HIV in 2016, the live broadcast resulted in a 500% spike in the number of people requesting a test on the Terrence Higgins Show.

Gareth founded Tackle HIV with ViiV Healthcare in 2020 to educate people about HIV and dispel beliefs about the infection in order to break the stigma that surrounds it. “We need to get rid of the stigma and misinformation,” Gareth remarked. “It wouldn’t be as frightening if you knew what it’s like to be HIV-positive in 2022.”

“Every single one of us has an obligation, or at least a chance, to get tested ourselves to make it simpler for everybody else to get tested,” said Prince Harry, who has long supported the Terrence Higgins Trust’s work.