This is the sweet moment when Prince William said to a Big Issue salesman: ‘Let me get you some money’ while visiting Pret A Manger in Bournemouth.
The Prince of Wales, 41, visited the cafe to speak to staff and bosses as part of his major campaign to end homelessness.
After making potions, walking out and meeting members of the public, the future king was presented with a copy of the Big Issue.
‘What is this?’ the father of three asked, before realizing it was the magazine.
‘Ah, the big problem? Do you sell it outside?’ he asked the salesman, before adding, “I’ll get you some money here,” and gestured to a tool.
The Prince of Wales, 41, visited the cafe to speak to staff and bosses as part of his major campaign to end homelessness.
After making drinks, walking out and meeting members of the public, the future king was presented with a copy of the Big Issue
A little later he was distracted by the English football legend Paul Gascoigne.
William and Gascoigne were filmed greeting each other amongst an excited crowd at the outlet, with Gascoigne saying he lived in nearby Sandbanks and felt “a lot better when he got there” after his long battle with alcohol addiction.
Gascoigne – who kissed William’s mother Princess Diana’s hand during the 1991 FA Cup Final – beamed during the conversation and seemed delighted to meet the prince.
Previously, William had been given his own name badge, as he laughed and joked with the staff when he visited the Pret and went to make sandwiches for customers.
He joined Pret’s staff to learn about a plan to help 500 people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless find jobs at the chain’s UK branches over the next five years.
The heir has previously worked at The Big Issue and went undercover as a Big Issuer salesman last year.
William, who has followed in his late mother Princess Diana’s footsteps by supporting a number of homelessness charities, loved to pose for photos with the public.
Among those taking a selfie was East London taxi driver Neil Kramer, who was charging his electric car when he was approached by the future king.
He joined Pret’s staff to learn about a plan to help 500 people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless find jobs at the chain’s UK branches over the next five years.
The heir has previously worked at The Big Issue and went undercover as a Big Issuer salesman last year
Speaking to FEMAIL, Neil said he “pinched” himself after speaking to the Duke, who “never forgot his name.”
The Big Issue is a magazine designed to lend a helping hand to the homeless. William is a staunch supporter of programs and organizations that support the homeless, just like his late mother.
The Prince is a patron of the homeless charity Centrepoint and revealed in 2020 that he talks about the issue of homelessness with his older children, Prince George, now eight, and Princess Charlotte, now seven.
Speaking to Mary Berry for her Christmas special A Berry Royal Christmas, he said, “If we’re already at school, keep in mind they’re six and four. Whenever we see someone sleeping on the street, I talk about it and I point it out and explain why, and they’re all very interested. They say, ‘Why can’t they go home?’
In 2019, the Duke became a patron of The Passage, an organization founded in 1980 that has helped more than 135,000 people in crisis through its resource center, homelessness prevention projects and innovative accommodation services.
Among those taking a selfie was East London taxi driver Neil Kramer (left), who was charging his electric car when he was approached by the future king. They are pictured with another Big Issue seller
Prince William happily posed for photos and snapped selfies with tourists who saw him on the street when his cover was blown
He also appeared on the cover of the magazine, saying he hopes to introduce his three children to the “great” homelessness organizations he works with — “just like my mom did for me” — when he posed for a special edition of The Big Issue. on the occasion of his 40th birthday.
He also recalled how his interest in the issue of homelessness began at the age of 11, when he first visited a homeless shelter 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.”
The magazine, which people sell to lift themselves out of poverty, also features an interview between William and Dave Martin, 60, the Big Issue salesman he has joined to sell the magazine.
William arrived in Bournemouth by train on the eve of the queen’s death. He was filmed walking along the platform next to a South Western Railway service, in a video posted to social media by Kensington Palace.
The Prince will meet with representatives from eight national and local businesses to hear about their support for his five-year Homewards project to end homelessness.
William will also visit Bournemouth AFC for an on-field talk with club staff about the work that supports disadvantaged and vulnerable adults to live independently.
It comes on the day William’s brother, Prince Harry, flies 9,000 miles from California to London to attend tonight’s WellChild Awards – before leaving for Düsseldorf on Saturday for the Invictus Games. The siblings are not expected to see each other.
Their late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-serving monarch, died on September 8 last year in Scotland’s Balmoral at the age of 96 after reigning for 70 years.