The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have paid tribute to Princess Diana’s work with HIV in support of the LGBTQ+ community on the first day of Pride Month.
Harry and Meghan shared a photograph of the prince's late mother to their eight million Instagram followers as part of a photo collage promoting a “deservedly more inclusive future”.
Princess Diana had been a prolific advocate in changing the stigma around AIDS and HIV.
Among her work, she opened the UK’s first ever HIV/Aids unit at London’s Middlesex Hospital in 1987.
In front of reporters, she shook the hand of a man suffering with the virus without wearing gloves to challenge the assumption that HIV/Aids was contagious by touch.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex paid tribute to her work by sharing the photograph of Dianna talking with patient Gerard McGrath at London Lighthouse in 1996.
Mr McGrath told reporters last year: “When she came in, she was shining.
“That smile, it just beamed when she smiled. She beamed.
“I sound like a sycophant but that’s how it was. I’m not a royal person really. I’m a republican, but she was an exception.”
The photo was part of a collage on the Sussex Royal account, which showcased images taken around the world and throughout history, that were posted by different Instagrammers that support the LGBTQ+ rights.
Meghan and Harry tagged users like Human Rights Campaign, Pride, Pflag, Sageusa, mattshepardfdn, stonewalluk, and itgetsbetter.
The tribute is the latest in the royal couple’s new monthly tradition of promoting social media accounts which they follow based on causes and social issues that matter to them.
In a caption they wrote: “For the month of June we “proudly” shine a light on PRIDE.
“This month we pay tribute to the LGBTQ+ community – those young and old, their families and friends, accounts that reflect on the pasty and are hopeful for a deservedly more inclusive future.
“We stand with you and support you.
“Because it’s very simple: love is love.”
The pair explained that the images posted were from accounts Sussex Royal Instagram are now following, as well as the artist Guadalupe Marquez.
The post racked up nearly 200,000 likes in just four hours.
Commenters flooded the post with support and Olympic diver Tom Daley wrote: “This is just AWESOME.”
