On July 1st 2020 the late Princess of Wales Diana, would have been celebrating her 59th birthday. Although she is not present physically in this world, but even after her tragic death 22 years ago, her legacy is still present.
While Diana was a member of the British Royal Family, she got the title of “the people’s princess” because of her emphatic and expressive nature. She always engaged herself for the greater good of society by giving attention to noble causes that were often overlooked. She even once said – “If I am going to have cameras pointed at me the whole time, I might as well use all this publicity for good.”
There are several noble causes she gave her heart to and became the Queen of Hearts. Some of these are as follows:
- HIV/AIDS
When HIV/AIDS virus first began spreading its wings in April 1987, the Queen of Hearts, Diana launched the first exclusive ward solely dedicated to AIDS patients in London Middlesex Hospital, Britain. The highlight of her visit was her famous image of shaking hands with an AIDS patient without even wearing gloves. This move of her was meant for debunking the popular misconception on the transmission of the HIV virus via touch. In the following years, she even visited sick children and patients in hospitals including a hostel for abandoned children in Rio de Janeiro and a hospice in Toronto.
- Leprosy
The Queen of Hearts, Diana also focused on eradicating the stigma that surrounded leprosy by visiting to the countries with high leprosy rates. She visited the patients in various hospitals for raising awareness about the disease that it does not spread by touch.
- Banning Landmines
Princess Diana also stood firm and strongly advocated against landmines. Her passion towards the cause made her visit an active minefield in Angola to learn how de-miners clear away explosives. She put her life at risk to share her views on the cause. After her trip 122 government representatives congregated in Ottawa and agreed upon the anti-personnel landmines. Her efforts were cited in the second reading of the Landmines Bill in 1998 by Robin Cook, Former British Foreign Secretary to acknowledge her contribution. Currently, her son Prince Harry is the patron of leading landmine charity, The HALO Trust taking her legacy ahead. The aim of the organization is to make the world weapon free by 2025.
- Charities for Homeless
Princess Diana used to make frequent visits to the charity centre, Centrepoint until her death in 1997. Despite of the fact that she had royal upbringing, she communicated with the homeless and forsaken effortlessly. She even interacted with rough sleepers on the streets.
- Performing Arts
Diana was an avid dancer and dedicated her time in The English National Ballet, which was the only non-humanitarian charity organization she put her efforts in. She used to grace her presence often at extravagant events such as fundraising galas to help the organization.
In a nutshell, we can say she had a heart of gold, hence calling her the Queen of Hearts won’t be wrong!
Reference: http://goodnews.com.my/blog/2019/07/01/the-queen-of-hearts-for-a-reason/
Conclusion:
Wish to know more about the Queen of Hearts, Princess Diana and her work towards the society? Then you must make a visit to The Princess Diana Museum that comprises the largest collections in the world with over 1,700 of Diana’s most iconic, carefully curated, personal and historical artifacts displayed in a 3D interactive environment that span Diana’s lifetime from early childhood through her teenage years, until her tragic death depicting her incredible life & legacy. Visit http://www.princessdianamuseum.org/
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