Prince William reveals he points out homeless people to George Louis and Charlotte on the school run

Prince William has revealed that he points out homeless children during school runs and asks them why they think people sleep poorly.

In his first interview since becoming Prince of Wales, the heir, 40, explained how he was determined to ‘make a difference’ by building a social housing estate in the Duchy of Cornwall, which he inherited from his father King Charles.

He spoke candidly about the conversations he has with his own children, Prince George, 9, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, about homelessness to ensure they grow up knowing that “some of us are very lucky ‘ while ‘some of us need a little help’.

It comes as he unveiled plans to build a mix of private, affordable and social housing on the 130,000 acre Duchy of Cornwall, which stretches from Cornwall to Kent and includes estates in Newquay and Dorchester.

The prince said he was thinking about when would be the right time to take his children to a homeless organization.

The 40-year-old Prince of Wales explained how he was determined to ‘make a difference’ by building a social housing estate in the Duchy of Cornwall

He told The Sunday times“I think if I can balance it with their education, they will definitely be exposed to it.” During the school run we talk about what we see. When we drove back and forth in London, we regularly saw people sitting in front of supermarkets and talked about it.

“I would say to the kids, ‘Why are they there? What’s going on?’ I think it’s in all of our interests, it’s the right thing to expose the kids, at the right time in the right dialogue, so that they understand.”

He added that it will show them that “some of us need to do a little more where we can to help improve the lives of others.”

The prince expressed his frustration with the government, municipalities and charities that are merely ‘managing’ the homelessness crisis rather than ‘preventing’ it.

Now he’s teasing what he calls a “really big project” coming from the Royal Foundation, which he co-heads with the Princess of Wales.

He said he hopes the project, which is being kept secret until later this month, will have a “tangible effect” in improving living conditions.

William was 11 years old when his mother, the late Princess Diana, took him and Prince Harry to a homeless shelter and is now a patron of the Passage, the charity that ran it.

Following in his mother’s footsteps, he became a patron of another charity, Centrepoint, in 2005, and recently spoke at a 33-flat affordable youth housing project funded by the group.

The charity’s survey last year found that the number of 16- to 24-year-olds who were homeless or at risk of becoming homeless was 122,000.

This figure, obtained through freedom of information requests to all councils, has risen since Centrepoint’s first request five years ago when it was 110,000, and will rise again this year.

The prince also revealed that he plans to take his children to a homeless shelter and that he is trying to ensure that his children are exposed to the realities faced by tens of thousands across the country.

Prince William, 40, spoke in his first interview since becoming Prince of Wales, using it to explain he is determined to ‘make a difference’

Poundbury was developed on land belonging to the Duchy of Cornwall, a royal estate administered by the Prince of Wales. It consists of a mix of private and affordable housing (file image)

He said that during the school trip around London, he often asks Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte what they see and why they think people sleep badly.

‘She [will] growing up knowing that actually, you know what, some of us are very lucky, some of us need a little help, some of us need to do more where we can to help others improve their lives.”

As a senior royal and with the eyes of the world constantly on him, the prince was asked what he personally does to help people sleeping on the street.

‘I don’t like to give money. I tend to buy them a drink, food, something like that. I notice that when I walk around or drive by and see other people doing it [give money], people don’t even look at it. How many people stop and talk to someone who is homeless? Very few of us.

‘In my work I meet these people, I hear the stories, I feel it, I see it. That is very important to me – and I have heard from them myself.

‘They have become invisible. It’s really important for society to recognize that someone is out there and they’re struggling. It shouldn’t be happening, but it is. You can not ignore it.’

Diana, Princess of Wales visiting homeless charity The Passage with her sons, (then) Prince Harry (2nd left) and Prince William (2nd right) in the early 1990s

William is a patron of the Centrepoint charity and recently spoke at an affordable housing project of 33 apartments for young people funded by the group

And when asked by the newspaper if there are any plans for affordable housing on Duchy land, William replied: ‘Absolutely. Public housing. You’ll see that when it’s done. I’m not a policy expert, but I push it where I can.’

Described by the newspaper as a ‘curveball’ that aides were not expecting, William indicated he will ‘start small’ with the housing and if the plan performs well he will look to increase the amount available.

William said, “It’s all right to make grand gestures, but it’s no use if… there’s no future in it.”

Poundbury, a Dorset estate that is part of the Royal Family’s more than £1bn property portfolio, is 35 per cent affordable housing and private homes.

Under the framework of national land use planning policies, major developments, including housing, should require 10 percent affordable housing availability.