An old video of Princess Diana making history, shaking hands with an HIV/AIDS patient while the virus was still little understood and steeped in stigma, has resurfaced on TikTok.
The video, which was filmed in the 1980s, depicting Lady Di shaking the hand of an AIDS patient, sans gloves, has now gone viral on the popular platform TikTok. Continue reading and we’ll fill you in on the details.
Princess Diana’s Story Reaching New Audiences
The historic video that has gained over 450,000 views on the platform, is becoming a shining example of Princess Diana’s legacy. It’s being exposed to and engaged by many from generations that came after Diana had already died in 1997.
The princess has become popular among young people as she is often represented in popular culture. Examples are Netflix’s The Crown as well as the 2021 movie, Spencer which introduced her and her legacy to a much younger crowd.
TikTok Known for Much Younger Viewers
In a May 2022 survey conducted by YouGov, the princess was shown to be the most favored royal among Americans with 66 percent saying they had “very favorable” or “somewhat favorable” views of her. This outranked Queen Elizabeth II by three percentage points in the same categories at 63 percent.
Data published by Statista in 2021 showed that 25 percent of American TikTok users are aged between 10 and 19 years of age while 49 percent are under the age of 30. Uploaded by user @1ladyydianawales, the video shows the princess on her historic visit to the Middlesex Hospital in London on April 9, 1987, to officially open the first medical ward dedicated to the treatment of HIV/AIDS patients in the UK.
@princess_dianaclips Diana shaking hands with an AIDS patient🥺 #foryou #viral #princessdiana ♬ SO MANY PEOPLE ARE USING THIS – Mae & Lily
Princess Diana Fought Against the Stigma of Diseases Like AIDS
Readers may recall the first case of HIV/AIDS to be confirmed in the UK was diagnosed in 1981 and carried the same stigma that it had in the US. Many patients had been stigmatized and ostracized by the moral panic and the fear that was associated with the virus.
At the time, there was a misguided belief that the virus could also spread through touch. It was a belief that was later proven by medical professionals to be unfounded. After marrying into the British Royal family, Lady Di made breakthroughs in charity work, identifying charities that had been neglected by previous princesses, such as homelessness and addiction.