Prince Harry and Elton John (Photo: Instagram)
Prince Harry has begun a two-day visit to the Netherlands promoting HIV/AIDS research and awareness.
The Duke of Sussex is due to attend the International AIDS conference in Amsterdam tomorrow, where he will launch his MenStar coalition with musician and friend, Elton John.
The MenStar coalition’s focus is on treating HIV infections in men.
Elton John said: ‘[The Elton John AIDS Foundation], along with other partners, have been undertaking participatory, human-centred design research collectively covering six countries. A critical finding from this work is the urgent need to rapidly scale up men’s access to and engagement in HIV testing and treatment services.’
The coalition consists of several groups fighting AIDS, such as the Elton John AIDS Foundation, Johnson & Johnson, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Gilead, and the US government’s PEPFAR programme.
MenStar to target young men in Kenya
One of the coalition’s first projects will be to target young men in Kenya for self-testing.
Prince Harry and Elton John have teamed up in the past in the fight against AIDS, both having appeared on the same panel two years ago at the International AIDS conference in Durban, South Africa.
The singer was also a friend of the prince’s late mother Diana, whose funeral he famously performed at in 1997.
The prince has carried on the work that his mother pioneered on behalf of those with HIV/AIDS, particularly in Africa. His charity Sentebale, founded in 2006, supports young people affected by the disease in Lesotho and Botswana.
Prince Harry is undertaking his mission to the Netherlands without the company of his new bride Meghan Markle. The Duchess of Sussex made her first official appearance alongside Harry commemorating World AIDS Day on 1st December 2017.
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