Princess Diana was rightly designated as the ” Princess of People .” The late Princess of Wales left an indelible impression in the hearts of those she met in Great Britain and worldwide. Known for her compassionate nature and soft-spoken demeanor the Princess knew the value of her stature and used it for benefitting the marginalized.
Back when leprosy patients were stigmatized for their condition and hoax around its communicability was rampant, Lady Di, knew what she could do. However, it momentarily shocked everyone when she extended her hand quite literally to greet the patients. The source of inspiration behind her rebellious action was Mother Teresa whom she met in 1992. The social worker told the British Royale that if she wanted to see the loneliest people, she should meet the patients with leprosy. Soon, Lady Diana was visiting a hospital nearby with the paparazzi following her. Diana slipped her gloves off and started touching all the patients recovering from the deadly disease. The paps captured her in the act as she shook hands and touched the faces of every patient she met.
March 1993, Nepal: Princess Diana visits a Care centre for the the Leprosy patients. Princess Diana, about visiting the sick, once said, “I remember, I used to sit on hospital beds and hold people’s hands. People used to be sort of shocked, (1)++ pic.twitter.com/4wb6941bDd
— bidisha ✨ (@HufflepuffKanya) February 16, 2022
According to Carrie Llyod daughter of Tony Lloyd who worked with the late Princess as the director of her patronage of The Leprosy Mission, Princess did a “coup with the paparazzi” that continues to live as one of the iconic moments in the history of the British Royal Family. In the Storia podcast , Carrie said, “On the front of the newspapers and tabloids was the headline, ‘Don’t do it Di’ and my father saw the press titles and called Kensington Palace and spoke to Patrick Jephson who was her private secretary at the time and said, ‘I just wanted to pass on a message to say what she’s done in five minutes we’ve been trying to do since past 120 years.'”
#OnThisDay in 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales, dies in a car crash in a road tunnel in Paris. Today, I’d like us to remember her for her global humanitarian efforts: from destroying landmines to shattering the stigma against AIDS and leprosy victims. pic.twitter.com/sjq9Gnw4Vf
— Marina Amaral (@marinamaral2) August 31, 2021
Adding on, she shared how the Princess got on the line and spoke with Llyod saying, “Tony, what you’re doing out there is extraordinary. How can I help?” As reported by HuffPost , back in 1996, she shared her logic behind meeting the patients by saying, “It’s always been my concern to touch people with leprosy, trying to show in a simple action that they are not reviled nor are we repulsed.” Peter Waddup, the national director of The Leprosy Mission England and Wales, said, Princess Diana made huge strides in tackling the prejudice surrounding leprosy but tragically, since her death, leprosy has returned to being the ‘forgotten disease.’”
Diana, Princess of Wales, shakes the hand of a young boy at the Sitanala leprosy hospital in Jakarta, Indonesia. Pic: Ron Bell pic.twitter.com/RbHjRfBNGY
— Brian Gosling (@brigosling) August 30, 2022
“The fact that the most photographed woman in the world was touching leprosy patients against the advice of her officials was truly shocking. It really drew the world’s attention to this ancient disease and, in one fell swoop, dispelled many of the myths surrounding the disease like it can be passed on by touch,” he added as he praised the genuine efforts made by the royal lady of the British monarchy.
