Britain's Prince Harry meets nursing staff, during his visit to Mildmay Hospital and charity, to mark the official opening of their new purpose-built facilities, in London, Monday Dec. 14, 2015. Harry toured the hospital which has been at the forefront of specialist HIV care since 1988 when it became the first dedicated hospice for people dying of AIDS related illnesses. (Yui Mok/Pool Photo via AP)
December 14, 2015 - 7:43 AM
LONDON - Prince Harry has followed in his mother's footsteps by meeting patients and staff at a hospital for people with HIV.
The prince on Monday visited London's Mildmay Hospital, previously an AIDS hospice where Princess Diana met dying patients.
Fundraising director Kerry Reeves-Kneip told Harry that his mother had visited 17 times before her death in 1997, helping to break down the stigma surrounding the disease.
She said Diana made three public visits and more private ones, where she would meet patients, "take tea and cakes with the staff, and gossip. She gave a lot of comfort and love to the people here."
Harry recalled how it had been "a huge deal" when Diana kissed an AIDS patient at the hospice.
Mildmay now focuses on rehabilitation for people with HIV-related illnesses.
News from © The Associated Press, 2015