Elton John to deliver HIV lecture in remembrance of Princess Diana

29 May 2018

Sir Elton John is to deliver a landmark lecture on HIV in remembrance of his late friend Princess Diana.

Sir Elton John

The 71-year-old icon - who was a close friend of the British royal - has agreed to deliver the Diana, Princess of Wales Lecture on HIV in London on June 8, when politicians, health workers, celebrities and other people living with HIV will be in attendance.

Elton - who established his own AIDs foundation in 1992 - said: "I am delighted to be able to deliver this lecture and to remember the enormous contribution Diana, Princess of Wales made to this cause. In the quarter century since the Elton John AIDS Foundation was established, the global AIDS fight has changed beyond recognition. Yet tolerance and courage has never been more important in that fight. We need to remember what is important if we are going to be successful."

The 'Rocket Man' hitmaker will be following in the footsteps of Kofi Annan, the former Secretary-General of the United Nations, and US President Bill Clinton, who previously had the honour of delivering the lecture in Diana's memory in 1999 and 2001, respectively.

Elton will use the platform to detail his ambition of an AIDs-free future, while he will also touch on his close friendship with Diana, who died in a car accident in Paris in September 1997.

Deborah Gold, the chief executive of the National AIDS Trust, which launched the lecture in 1999, said it will be an "honour" to have Elton deliver the lecture.

She explained: "2018 is a critical time in the global HIV epidemic. We have all the tools we need to beat HIV, yet we lack the level of investment or political priority necessary to use them fully.

"We are delighted that Sir Elton John, who has enormous credibility in this battle, will be speaking on this subject."

Elton performed a memorable rendition of 'Candle in the Wind' in tribute to the Princess at her funeral in 1997, and the chart-topping star was also a guest at her son Prince Harry's wedding to Meghan Markle earlier this month.