Prince Harry has been tested for HIV to raise awareness…and quickly learns it is negative
The heir to the throne took a test in a bid to raise awareness and encourage more members of the public to come forward
PRINCE Harry has taken an HIV test on Facebook live in a bid to encourage more members of the public to get tested.
The royal, who has recently made highlighting the issue of HIV/Aids a priority in his public work, visited a sexual health clinic for the simple finger-prick procedure.
Harry tested negative after giving a small sample of blood at the Burrell Street centre in central London.
The fifth-in-line to the throne anxiously awaited his results as he was forced to wait while the sample was mixed with chemicals and poured into a test tray.
A developing solution was added and a negative results was indicated by a blue spot on the tray.
If two spots had appeared the prince would have needed further testing to establish whether he was HIV positive.
An estimated 11,000 people are unknowingly living with the virus in the UK.
Harry took the step of being publicly tested to help tackle the stigma surrounding the disease.
As he waited for the test result to appear Robert Palmer, a lead health adviser and psychosexual counsellor who carried out the procedure, asked the Prince: "You all right?"
The 31-year-old responded: "I'm OK."
Palmer afterwards noted: "He was anxious, he said so, but everything was all right in the end."
Asked about the significance of a member of the Royal Family being tested for HIV, he said: "It means this is a test for everybody - it doesn't matter who you are, it's a good idea to have a HIV test."
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