Charity

In Diana's own words:-"I think the biggest disease this world suffers from in this day and age is the disease of people feeling unloved, and I know that I can give love for a minute, for half an hour, for a day, for a month, but I can give. I'm very happy to do that and I want to do that"

After Diana had separated from Prince Charles, there were fewer royal duties for her to perform. This gave Diana the chance, which she had long wanted, to do more charity work.

Her charitable work began not long after Harry's birth when she took over as president of Barnado's from Princess Margaret. She became a champion for the rights of those who were disadvantaged and did more than any other person during the 20th century to highlight the plight of those affected by HIV or AIDS. She also changed the way that sufferers were portrayed globally and showed the world that it was impossible to catch HIV or AIDS by touching someone.

Diana also worked with Centrepoint, the charity that improves the lives of young people who find themselves homeless. The charity provides a range of accommodation including short-stay hostels, emergency night shelters as well as working with young single parents, ex-offenders and on other projects aimed at the young homeless.

Diana also supported the National AIDS Trust. The trust is the UK's leading independent campaign and policy charity that aims to influence attitudes to HIV and AIDS and to change decisions that impact on the lives of those affected. World AIDS Day and the Diana, Princess of Wales, Lecture on HIV and AIDS are important events in the charities calendar.

The Leprosy Mission was also a charity close to Diana's heart. This leading international Christian delevopment mission was founded in 1874 and has worked ever since to help those affected by leprosy in South Asia, Africa and the East Asia and Pacific region.

In 1996, Diana reluctantly gave up being patron of all but six charities. One of the charities of which she remained a Patron was the London Lighthouse Centre, which cared for terminally ill patients with HIV - one of Diana's many speeches that she gave was about the plight of HIV - she so rightly said:-

"HIV does not make people dangerous to know, so you can shake their hands and give them a hug. Heaven knows . . . they need it!"

In January 1997, Diana visited Angola as a Red Cross volunteer on a plight to abolish the use of landmines, The photographs of her walking across a minefield brought the horror home to all the world. In August she went to Bosnia. There she met victims and urged the world's government to ban mines forever. Sadly this was to be her last mission.

"One boy took off his boots to show what his feet looked like. But he didn't have any feet left. Diana picked him up in her arms. There were no photographers there. She was not showing off. It was genuine impulse ... instinctive"

"Anywhere I see suffering that is where I want to be, doing what I can"