Prince Harry to launch National HIV Testing Week
PRESTON, UNITED KINGDOM – OCTOBER 23: Prince Harry during a visit to Myplace at Brockholes Nature Reserve, a project which aims to empower young people by encouraging them to take action in environmental activities on October 23, 2017 in Preston, England. (Photo by Chris Jackson – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Prince Harry will launch this year’s National HIV Testing Week, attending the opening of an HIV pop-up shop in London.
The Prince will attend the opening of the Terrence Higgins Trust shop in Hackney, East London, on Wednesday November 15 .
At the pop-up, the Prince will officially the launch the start of National HIV Testing Week, which the charity coordinates on behalf of HIV Prevention England.
The shop, which will be open from 15 – 24 November, will offer people the chance to take a free self-test home with them.
LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 12: Prince Harry talks after receiving a posthumous Attitude Legacy Award on behalf of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales (Photo by Frank Augstein – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
The testing kits require a simple finger-prick and can give results within just fifteen minutes.
Terrence Higgins Trust staff and volunteers will also be in the shop to provide information on HIV, prevention and support services available for those newly diagnosed as positive.
Ian Green, CEO, Terrence Higgins Trust said: “It’s vital that we dispel the stigma that surrounds HIV-testing, and for people to recognise it as empowering.
“Self-testing is a new innovation and a quick, easy and private option for people to find out their HIV status.”
Prince Harry receives a posthumous Attitude Legacy Award on behalf of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales (Photo by Frank Augstein – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
He added: “It’s an effective way to improve diagnosis and reduce new transmissions.
“This National HIV Testing Week, we’re asking people to give HIV the finger by getting tested and knowing their status.
“Because if you’re living with HIV, you need to know about it so you can protect your health through treatment and stop onward transmission of HIV. People who are diagnosed with HIV can live long healthy lives .
“We’re delighted that Prince Harry is attending the launch of our pop-up shop in Hackney, and we welcome his continued support of organisations that are fighting to end new HIV transmissions and the damaging stigma which continues to surround the virus.”
Kensington Palace confirmed: “Prince Harry will attend the opening of the Terrence Higgins Trust HIV testing pop-up shop in Hackney on 15th November.
“During the visit, HRH will launch this year’s National HIV Testing Week, which is being coordinated by Terrence Higgins Trust.”
Terrence Higgins Trust says it will reveal the exact location of the shop, which will be open seven days of the week, nearer its launch date via social media.
The Prince recently made history by accepting an award from gay magazine Attitude.
He collected an award on behalf of his late mother, Princess Diana, who campaigned extensively on HIV/AIDS.
The Prince has followed in his mother’s footsteps by campaigning on HIV/AIDS issues, while he has also praised the “amazing” work of a transgender children’s charity.
Prince Harry
In a moving speech about his mother’s legacy, Prince Harry said: “In April 1987, my mother was only 25 years old.
“She was still finding her way in public life, but she already felt a responsibility to shine her spotlight on the people and issues that were often ignored.
“She knew that AIDS was one of the things that many wanted to ignore and seemed like a hopeless challenge.
“She knew that the misunderstanding of this relatively new disease was creating a dangerous situation when mixed with homophobia.”
“She knew exactly what she was doing.
“She was using her position of 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.”
Many in the gay community held a special affinity with the Princess, in part due to her work during the AIDS crisis.
During the AIDS crisis Princess Diana made many visits both officially and unofficially – and famously shook hands with a patient at the height of HIV stigma.
The charity named in her honour, The Diana Award, also works to tackle homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying.
The Prince has adopted HIV as one of his key campaigning issues, visiting a number of HIV clinics, attending the International AIDS Conference in South Africa, and speaking about his late mother’s work on the issue.
Last year the Prince made headlines by taking a HIV test himself in a Facebook Live video earlier this month, in an appeal for more people to get tested.
<> at on July 14, 2016 in London, England.The Prince said of his mother: “She started very punchy [on AIDS].
“She smashed the stigma around HIV on more than one occasion. It had a huge impact, and a huge impact on my life as well.”
Prince Harry added: “I don’t consciously channel myself down certain avenues specifically because I think my mum would be proud. But she sure as hell would be proud of me, hopefully, that I’m doing it.”
He explained: “If you’re not going to get tested for yourself and you’re not going to go and get tested for your loved ones that you could possibly infect, then… I don’t know if it’s a selfish thing to say or not, but if you respect what my mother stood for, go and get tested for her.
“It’s 20 years next year since she died, and 30 years ago she was in this hospital [HIV clinic Mildmay] and she did something that no-one else had ever done before.
“If she were still here today, she would probably get tested every month, just to prove a point.”
The Prince added that it was important for him as a straight man to take on the issue, to bust early misconceptions about HIV/AIDS being an exclusively ‘gay’ disease.
He said: “The issue itself needs a straight guy, mid-30s, to come in and try and normalise it. Once again, I’m fortunate enough to be in this position in order to make a difference.
The royal continued: “There’s so much stigma simply around a name or an acronym. It’s 2016 for god’s sake, we need to start rethinking this.
“Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. When you spell it out, you suddenly go, ‘it’s not actually that terrifying at all’.
“If you speak to someone who’s suffering from [AIDS], of course it’s terrifying because it can kill you, but the point I’m trying to make is, if you can’t even say the word without cringing or worrying or freaking out about it, how the hell are we going to help everybody and solve this problem before it gets too big?
“I think most people would admit that they’ve had sex without a condom, and there is always a moment, the next day probably, when you think to yourself, ‘I need to go and get a checkup’.”
“Let’s start in the UK, lead by example, and then help everybody else.”
Earlier this week he Prince praised the work of Mermaids, a charity which works to support transgender children.
The head of Mermaids was invited to a reception at Buckingham Palace, where Prince Harry praised its “amazing” work..
The Royal Family maintained a historic silence on LGBT rights, but Prince Harry and his brother Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, have busted the stigma over the past few years.
Prince William made history last year as the first royal to take part in a shoot for a gay magazine.
