Harry and Meghan’s official Instagram is only two months old but it's already known for its unique way of bringing attention to the causes and issues the royal couple care about. @sussexroyal’s latest post “shines a light on PRIDE” as today marks the beginning of Pride Month.
The post is a collage of images from the accounts the Duke and Duchess are now following on the gram, including Sage, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of older LGBTQ+ people, the Trevor Project, which provides suicide prevention services to LGBTQ+ youth and the Elton John AIDS foundation to mention a few.
The lengthy caption, characteristic of the couple’s official account, stated:
“This month we pay tribute to the accounts supporting the LGBTQ+ community – those young and old, their families and friends, accounts that reflect on the past and are hopeful for a deservedly more inclusive future. We stand with you and support you. Because it’s very simple: love is love.”
The collage of images also featured a photo of Princess Diana, whose activism helped change attitudes towards HIV and AIDS sufferers in the 80s and 90s. In 2017, the Duke of Sussex accepted the Attitude Legacy award given posthumously to his mother, recalling in his speech how 30 years earlier, in 1987, Princess Diana famously shook hands with a 32-year-old man with HIV to help try and break the stigma that ostracised many people diagnosed with HIV/AIDS.
The young royals have been known to support LGBTQ+ causes. Harry met with Susie Green the C.E.O of Mermaids - a charity that seeks to support transgender and gender variant children and their families - when he visited a YMCA in South Ealing in April. William became the first member of the Royal family to be featured on the cover of a gay publication when he was photographed for Attitude magazine in 2016 after holding a meeting with members of the LGBTQ+ community at Kensington Palace to discuss bullying and mental health.
June was chosen for pride month in a nod to the Stonewall riots in America which kicked off the Gay liberation movement. June 28th 2019 will mark the 50th anniversary of the first demonstration at Stonewall.