Prince William says visits he made to homeless charity Passage with Princess Diana as a child left a ‘deep and lasting impression’ and praises their work as ‘life-changing’
Prince William has praised the work of homelessness charity The Passage, saying he was “deeply moved” when he visited the charity as a child with Princess Diana.
The Prince of Wales, 41, shared a video explaining the charity's “amazing work”, including “life-changing” work to prevent homelessness and human trafficking, which was posted to Twitter on ICAP's 31st Charity Day.
“Having a place to call home is so precious. Every day, the Passage works tirelessly to achieve a society where homelessness does not exist and where everyone has a place to call home,” he said.
He also praised ICAP for raising £160 million through their charity days and said the funds are helping Passage shift the issue of homelessness from something that has 'just been done' to 'something that has been completely prevented'.
William is a huge supporter of homelessness prevention and was spotted selling The Big Issue in West London this week.
Prince William (pictured) has praised the work of homelessness charity The Passage
The future king says he was 'deeply moved' when he visited the charity as a child with Princess Diana (pictured with Harry and Diana in the Passage in the 1990s)
The future king donned his red cap and jacket to sell the magazine to people outside Tesco in Hammersmith vendor Dave Martin, 61, who has been a friend of the royal family since they started selling on the streets Big problem copies together 18 months ago, with the pair even trading Christmas Cards.
The prince launched his Homewards project this year to end homelessness and has been campaigning for rough sleepers since his mother, Princess Diana, turned him onto the streets as a child.
His visit to Tesco with Dave follows a similar trip with the Big Issue supplier in 2022 to mark the future king's 40th birthday.
On that occasion, William sold 32 copies of the Big Issue in less than an hour while spending the day on the streets of Victoria, London.
He also wrote for the magazine and explained that he wanted to shine a light on the issue of homelessness, recalling visiting a homeless shelter for the first time with his mother, the Princess of Wales. He added that Diana was “determined in her own inimitable style to shine a light on an overlooked and misunderstood problem.”
He even said he plans to take his children Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, to see the work of “fantastic” organizations he works with “just like my mother did for me.” did'.
In June, William focused on making rough sleeping, couch surfing and other forms of temporary accommodation a “rare, brief and unrepeated” issue.
The royal family has taken inspiration from Finland, where the problem of homelessness has been virtually eradicated, with its new initiative called Homewards.
Beaming William, 41, appeared relaxed as he joined salesman Dave Martin, 61, who has been a friend of the royal family since they hit the streets together to sell Big Issue copies 18 months ago. Pictured this week in Hammersmith
The Prince wrote exclusively for the magazine why he wanted to talk about the homelessness problem around his milestone
The future king has become increasingly passionate about the issue of homelessness in Britain after he was first taken to The Passage charity by his late mother, Princess Diana.
William's new five-year project will initially focus on six locations and local businesses, organizations and individuals will be encouraged to join forces and develop 'bespoke' action plans to tackle homelessness with funding of up to £500,000.
Speaking in his first interview since becoming Prince of Wales, William used it to explain that he is determined to 'make a difference… so people who are homeless don't fall again'.
The 130,000-acre Duchy of Cornwall stretches from Cornwall to Kent and includes estates in Newquay and Dorchester made up of a mix of private and some affordable housing.
When asked by the Sunday Times if there were plans for affordable housing in the Duchy's territory, William said: 'Absolutely. Public housing. You'll see that when it's done. I'm not a policy expert, but I push where I can.'
December 2009: William, then 27 years old, spent a night sleeping to understand the plight of the homeless at Christmas
Vitalijus Zuikauskas poses for a photo with Prince William, who was spotted selling The Big Issue newspaper in London on June 8, 2022
Described by the newspaper as a “curveball” that aides did not expect, William indicated he will “start small” with the housing and if the plan goes well, he will look to increase the amount available.
William said: 'It's all very well to make grand gestures, but there's no point if… there's no future in it.'
William's appearance comes after a week of drama for the royal family following explosive allegations from author Omid Scobie, whose new book named the Princess of Wales and King Charles as the so-called “royal racists” who questioned the skin color of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had. , Archie, would have done before he was born.
Neither Buckingham Palace nor the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have commented on the allegations made by 'fantasist' Scobie – revealed in the Dutch version of his 400-page book. Instead, the Firm appears to be adhering to the age-old royal diktat of 'never complain, never explain'.
This week, William seemed unbothered by the drama as he smiled and chatted with shoppers as he did his bit to help the homeless.
Among those who witnessed the royal action was father-to-be Oliver Kempton, who stepped out of his office to buy a sandwich at Tesco – and returned with a stunning photo of himself with the future King of England.
Oliver literally ran into the prince, after purchasing a copy he posed with William.
'To be honest, I was speechless when I realized the Big Issue seller I was speaking to was the Prince of Wales. He happily posed with me so my colleague could take a photo of us – it's something I can share with the whole family.
The 33-year-old, who works in advertising and is the son of a retired senior ambulance chief, will become a father in February.
“It's my first time meeting royalty – the photo is something I can show my newborns when they're a little older,” he added.
The prince launched his Homewards project this year to end homelessness and has been campaigning for rough sleepers since his mother, Princess Diana, turned him onto the streets as a child.