Two decades ago, the late Princess Diana took William to help the homeless, which became the future King’s philanthropic passion. Now, William plans to do the same with his son
When the late Princess Diana took a young Prince William to meet with and help the homeless 20 years ago, the future King’s eyes were opened to the endless struggles of those without a home, and it became his philanthropic passion to end the scourge of homelessness in the UK. Since then, the Prince of Wales followed in his mother’s footsteps to become a patron of charity Centrepoint.
Now, two decades on, William plans to expose his eldest son Prince George to the same plight of homeless people, in the hopes he will pass on his passion to meet and care for those less fortunate.
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According to the Mail on Sunday: “He talks to George, Charlotte and Louis about homelessness a lot. It’s something he’s incredibly passionate about.
“He’s keen to take George to a homeless shelter soon to meet some of the brilliant people who inspired him to create Homewards, and the people who will ultimately be supported by it.”
To mark the 20th anniversary of the Prince of Wales’ Centrepoint patronage, the charity will throw a party in his honour where he is set to be presented with a specially commissioned chocolate cake.
Prince William has been a patron of Centrepoint since 2005, more than a decade after his mother, Diana, started helping the charity in 1992. He also introduced Homewards, a flagship five-year initiative, launched in 2023 which aims to reduce homelessness.
Centrepoint CEO Seyi Obakin OBE said the charity will also present Prince William with a montage of pictures celebrating his two decades of service. “We’ve collected photos of him with young people in relaxed moments, some never seen publicly before,” he said. “There’s one from when he volunteered with us before becoming Patron.
“He spent five days volunteering undercover, talking to the housing benefit office, advising young people. He had an induction and then was simply thrown in. The young people had no idea who he was. One said, ‘You look like someone I know’ and he replied, ‘Yes, people say that a lot’ and moved on.”
In an ITV documentary last year – Prince William: We Can End Homelessness – the future King recalled visiting homeless charity The Passage with his mother in 1993 at the age of 11. Prince William – now a patron of the charity – said in the documentary he had “taken inspiration and guidance from what my mother did, particularly with homelessness”.
He said it had helped him see “outside the palace walls”. Responding to questions whether he was the right person to lead the project given his own immense privilege, the Prince told ITV at the time: “I think everyone having a right to a safe, stable home benefits us all.
“I come with no other agenda other than desperately trying to help people who are in need and see that as part of my role. Why else would I be here if I’m not using this role properly to influence and help people while I can. I like a big challenge, I do like that, but I can’t do it on my own.”
