Meghan, Harry display Royal Pride with Instagram post paying tribute to Princess Diana

Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, have paid tribute to Princess Diana as they pledge to carry on her work supporting gay rights.

Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, have paid tribute to Princess Diana in a powerful message supporting LGBTQ+ rights.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex shared a photograph of Harry’s late mother as they highlighted the first day of Pride Month today with their 8 million Instagram followers.

Princess Diana herself had been a key figure in changing the stigma around AIDS and HIV.

Among her work, Princess Diana opened the UK’s first purpose- built HIV/Aids unit, which cared exclusively for patients with the virus, at London’s Middlesex Hospital in 1987.

In front of the media, she shook the hand of a man suffering with the illness.

She did so without gloves, challenging the notion that HIV/Aids was passed from ­person to person by touch.

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Princess Diana sits with Gerard McGrath at London Lighthouse in October 1996. Picture: Supplied

And Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made sure to pay tribute to her work as they marked Pride Month, sharing a photograph of her meeting with patient Gerard McGrath at London Lighthouse in 1996.

Mr McGrath himself recounted the touching visit in 2017, saying: “When she came in, she was shining.

“That smile, it just beamed when she smiled. She beamed.

“I sound like a sycophant but that’s how it was.

“I’m not a royal person really, I’m a republican, but she was an exception.”

Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex smile during a photocall with their newborn son, Archie. Picture: AP

Other photos shared by the Sussex Royal Instagram account mentioned groups including the Elton John AIDS Foundation, the Trevor Project and Stonewall.

Elton John himself had become fast friends with Princess Diana thanks to her work.

Diana, Princess of Wales sits next to singer Elton John at memorial mass for designer Gianni Versace. Picture: Supplied

Taking to social media today, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex wrote: “Continuing with our tradition to rotate the accounts we follow based on causes and social issues that matter to us: For the month of June we “proudly” shine a light on PRIDE.

“This month we pay tribute to the accounts supporting the LGBTQ+ community — those young and old, their families and friends, accounts that reflect on the past and are hopeful for a deservedly more inclusive future.

“We stand with you and support you.

“Because it’s very simple: love is love.”

British diver Tom Daley has showed support for Prince Harry and Meghan’s Pride message. Picture: Instagram

The post has been widely praised, with Olympic diver Tom Daley writing: “This is just AWESOME.”

The couple last month unfollowed Kate Middleton and Prince William’s Instagram as part of their campaign to raise awareness for social issues.

Prince William, Kate the Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry and Meghan the Duchess of Sussex. Picture: AP

And it was this week revealed the couple split from the charity set up with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

The young royals were dubbed the “Fab Four” but just 15 months after their first and only joint appearance, the couples have gone on to pursue their own charities separately.

This article originally appeared in The Sun and is republished here with permission