Health worker who tested Prince Harry for HIV speaks of anxious wait for result
Prince Harry is tested for HIV (Chris Jackson-Pool/Getty)
The health worker who tested Prince Harry for HIV on a live stream has spoken about the moments before the results of the instant test came back.
Robert Palmer, an Advisor and Specialist Psychotherapist opened up in this week’s Boyz magazine about the test.
The health worker writes that the prince had been visiting patients and consultants in the HIV unit, and that it had been unplanned that he took the rapid result HIV test, calling it “unexpected”.
He writes that there was “the same rather anxious moment” as they awaited the result “as anyone who takes the test usually experiences. This was no doubt compounded by the fact that the world was watching the test take place.
“With a negative result given, Prince Harry reminded everyone of the importance of early testing, the effectiveness of HIV treatment and that, whoever you may be, if you are unsure of your HIV status, then it is vital to find out.”
Adding: “It was a remarkable moment, being the first time a member of the Royal Family had undertaken such a procedure publicly, but also because it was to be broadcast live by Facebook and the BBC.”
The fifth-in-line to the throne has focused more of his engagements around HIV in recent months, visiting a number of HIV clinics, attending the International AIDS Conference in South Africa, and speaking about his late mother’s work on the issue.
The Prince made headlines by taking a HIV test himself in a Facebook Live video earlier this month, in an appeal for more people to get tested.
According to one HIV charity the appeal has worked – with Terrence Higgins Trust reporting a five-fold surge in orders through its HIV self-testing scheme following the Prince’s appeal.
THT’s HIV self-testing pilot had targeted men who have sex with men and black African people in the UK, and was promoted through targeted social media and apps including Facebook, Twitter and Grindr.
