Prince William is following in his mother’s charitable footsteps (Image: Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace)
Prince William has revealed his heartfelt mission to tackle homelessness, a cause close to his heart and one that was instilled in him by his late mother, Princess Diana. The Duke of Cambridge is set to appear in an upcoming TV documentary where he shares: “My mother introduced me to homelessness a long time ago.”
In the programme, William reflects on the influence of his mother’s legacy, saying: “I have taken some inspiration and guidance from what my mother did, particularly with homelessness. That has grown more over the last few years. When I was very small my mother started talking about homelessness – much like I do now with my children on the school run.”
The documentary features Prince William revisiting The Passage, the same charity his mother took him to as a child.
Viewers will see a down-to-earth prince engaging warmly with individuals at a Christmas lunch, even helping to clear away dishes. The programme also includes rare footage of a young William playing chess with a man at The Passage back in 1993, highlighting the deep impression these early experiences left on him.
Prince William learned first hand the importance of chartitable work (Image: undefined)
He shares his initial apprehensions and how Diana’s natural warmth made everyone feel at ease: “I had never been to anything like that before and I was a bit anxious at what to expect. But Mother went about her usual part of making everyone feel relaxed, having a laugh and joking with everyone.”, reports the Mirror.
Prince William has opened up about the profound impact his mother, Princess Diana, had on his understanding of homelessness, reports the Mirror. He recalls, “I remember thinking if no one has a home everyone would be really sad but it was incredible how happy an environment it was.
“I remember having good conversations, playing chess and chatting. That’s when it dawned on me that there are other people out there who don’t have the same life as you do. She made sure when we grew up that the life outside the palace walls was real.”
The Duke of Cambridge is now instilling the same values in his children, George, Charlotte, and Louis, by discussing homelessness with them, he says.
“When you are that young you are curious, you just want to know what is going on,” he explains. “We saw homeless people on the streets and you just ask, ‘Why are they sitting there? ‘ and my mother would talk a bit about why they were there and it definitely had a big impact.”
Princess Diana made working with the less fortunate a key part of her role in Royal life (Image: undefined)
William also shares how he introduces the concept of homelessness to his kids during their school run, noting the importance of starting these conversations early.
His own experiences have led him to become a patron of charities like The Passage and Centrepoint, and he even spent a night sleeping rough in 2009 to raise awareness for the cause.
Prince William opened up about the personal impact of his encounters with homelessness, saying: “When you talk to them you understand – well, I can’t pretend I understand homelessness but you see in their eyes and the way they talk, the pain and the journey they’ve been on. How they are carrying this huge weight.”
He added, “You can’t help but think it is a long way back for some. It is all about understanding why they are there. Because when you chat to them they are wonderful and really nice people. They have just had bad things happen to them. Things have conspired against them. Things go wrong and it just gets worse and worse. You feel it. They are really vulnerable. You feel like you want to protect them.”
The Duke of Cambridge highlighted his commitment to the cause, detailing his June campaign launch of Homewards, dedicated to making homelessness “rare, brief and unrepeated”. Facing critique for spearheading the initiative despite his privileged background, William’s resolve remains firm.
He stated, “If I answered every critic I would be here all day. But I think criticism drives you forward. I think it is right to question but ultimately we are pushing forward to deliver change, hope and optimism into a world that frankly has had little of it for a long time. I hope I can bring something that hasn’t been done before. Why else would I be here if I wasn’t using my position properly to help people in need? I don’t believe we should be living with homelessness in the 21st century.”
“At some point you really have to say, ‘Right, let’s do something that is really going to make a difference to people’s lives’. I have spent enough time learning and listening to what people have been through, I feel almost guilty every time I leave that I am not doing more to help. I feel compelled to act. I don’t just want to talk about it or listen. I want to see someone smile because their life has been made better. Building a project is the only way I can see to help people who are in a very difficult situation.”
Six Homewards locations were chosen – Newport, Lambeth, Belfast, Aberdeen, Sheffield and three Dorset towns, Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch – with the aim of delivering bespoke solutions in each area.
In the ITV documentary we see William meet heads of charities tackling the issue, like Shelter and The Big Issue, as well as people who have been homeless, like TV presenter Gail Porter. Gail, 53, became homeless in 2015 when she suffered mental health issues and says William is the perfect person to drive change.
“People have said to me, ‘What does he know about homelessness? ‘ But they also say to me, ‘I don’t believe you were really homeless’,” she says. “It all went wrong for me. I was embarrassed and ashamed. I didn’t want to tell anyone and didn’t know where to go or who to speak to. So to have someone like Prince William doing this amazing campaign gives people access to not feel ashamed.”
