Prince William has opened up about his personal crusade to end homelessness, saying it is inspired by his mother. And the heir to the throne says Princess Diana’s compassionate example has spurred him to educate his own kids on the issue.
Talking on a landmark TV documentary to be shown this week, he says: “My mother introduced me to homelessness a long time ago.” William says on the programme: “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 shows William on a visit to the same homelessness charity where his mum first took him when he was 11, along with brother Harry. Down-to-earth and unguarded, he embraces people at a Christmas lunch and happily clears away plates and glasses while having a chat.
Previously unseen images flash across the screen, in which we see the young prince playing chess with a man at The Passage in London in 1993. He recalls: “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.
“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.”
It’s a message William passes on to his kids George, 11, Charlotte, nine, and Louis, six. “When you are that young you are curious, you just want to know what is going on,” he says. “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.
“I am starting to introduce homelessness to my children on the school run. The first few times I thought, ‘Do I bring this up or should I wait to see if anybody noticed?’ Sure enough they did and they were just sort-of silent. After I said what was going on, I could see their brains try to work out what that means. I do think it’s really important that we start those conversations when the children are small so they’re not just living, you know, in their own little worlds.”
After his boyhood introduction to homelessness, William went on to become a patron of The Passage and the Centrepoint charities. The prince slept rough for a night in 2009 to understand the plight of those left without a roof over their heads and to raise awareness.
He says: “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.
“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.”
In June last year he launched Homewards, which aims to eradicate homelessness in all its forms, “making it rare, brief and unrepeated”. Since he announced the project, some have questioned if he is the right person to front such a campaign given his own privileged position.
A defiant William explains: “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.”
Compassion drives him to use privilege for destitute
By Russell Myers, Mirror Royal Editor
The easy reaction is to question what on earth Prince William knows about the homelessness crisis in Britain. A man born into incredible privilege who will one day become King, living a life in palaces and castles – and who will obviously never have to deal with issues arising from the increased cost of living.
But it’s exactly this criticism that drives him forward. It is no secret the Royal Family has had a tough few years. Plagued by scandal and infighting, questions have been raised as to the future shape of the monarchy – and, in some quarters, whether it has any future at all.
Step forward Prince William, who has quietly got to work on this most ambitious of projects, even amid his own personal challenges – including his father and his wife, the Princess of Wales, both dealing with cancer this year. In response to those critics, William asks: “Why else would I be here, if I wasn’t using my position properly to help people in need?”
In the ITV film we see William talk about his ever-present inspiration, his late mother Princess Diana, as well as his sense of what people expect of him in his role.
It was Diana’s vision to show William and his brother Harry what life was like beyond palace walls – while her own marriage and life spiralled out of control – that has had the biggest impact on his life.
Much like breaking the generational curses of a family, which he has sought to do in his own home life, William also wants to break the cycle of homelessness for the most vulnerable in our society.
Anyone watching this documentary cannot fail to be moved by his authenticity, his warmth – and his genuine compassion to help others to be able to forge a better life for themselves.
- Prince William: We Can End Homelessness, on Wednesday and Thursday at 9pm on ITV1 & ITVX
