Remembering Diana

It has been twenty-three years since Diana, Princess of Wales was killed in a car crash.  Twenty-three years and yet she is still fondly memorialized each year. The mother of Prince William and Prince Harry and the first wife of Charles, the heir apparent to the British throne, truly was the People's Princess.  Just saying her name, it's hard to not see her famous genuine smile.

This moment from 1987 is one of the things about her that really stands out in my mind.  Princess Diana had arrived at London Middlesex Hospital to open the UK's very first unit dedicated to treating people with HIV/AIDS.  As seen in this famous newspaper photograph (by John Redman), with all the stigma that was then attached to AIDS, she shook the hand of an AIDS patient without wearing gloves.  This is one of the things that made her so human - so like one of us.

There were many back then who thought that leprosy could be contracted through casual contact, but in November 1989, Princess Diana visited a leprosy hospital in Indonesia where she touched those affected by the disease. She later became patron of the Leprosy Mission, an international Christian organisation founded in 1874, which helps people affected by leprosy.

Picking up magazines back in the 80s and 90s you would almost always find an article (or several) about something said of done by the Princess of Wales.  That was true even after her divorce. Known for her style, I think she was even better known for campaigning for some many human causes including homelessness and drug abuse.  She fought for animal protection and fought against the use of landmines.  She was also, unlike so many in the Royal Family, so very approachable.

This morning, on the anniversary of her sad death, we remember Diana and give thanks for her time with us.