HIV awareness

Princess Diana played a historic role in breaking down the stigma surrounding HIV and AIDS during the 1980s and 1990s. She used her position to raise awareness of the disease and opened Britain's first purpose-built HIV/AIDS unit at Middlesex Hospital in London in 1987. By publicly shaking hands with an HIV-positive patient without wearing gloves, she challenged misconceptions about how the virus was transmitted and encouraged others to do the same.