Prince William shared a childhood memory of his late mother, Princess Diana, taking him to a homeless shelter at the age of 11. In a new documentary, he mentioned how that visit opened his eyes to different ways people lived.
In an excerpt from the documentary on his efforts to combat homelessness, William talked about Diana’s commitment to raising awareness about social issues. He described a 1993 visit to The Passage charity in London, where his mother made everyone feel at ease.
“I’d never been to anything like that before, and I was a bit anxious as to what to expect. My mother went about her usual part of making everyone feel relaxed and having a laugh and joking with everyone,” William said.
Last June, William started a five-year project called “Homewards,” which he said was inspired by Diana. Homeless charities find it difficult to determine the exact number of people living on the streets. Recent statistics showed that 178,560 households were assessed as homeless in England in 2023-24, which is a 12.3% increase from the previous year.
William emphasized his commitment to helping those in need. “I see that as part of my role,” he said. During his visit to The Passage, he remembered playing chess and talking with the people there.
“That’s when it informed me that there are other people out there who don’t have the same life as you do,” he said in the documentary. “When you’re quite small … you just think life is what you see in front of you. You don’t really have concept to look elsewhere.
“And it’s when you meet people that I did then who put a different perspective in your head and say … I was living on the street last night.”
The full documentary, “Prince William: We Can End Homelessness,” is scheduled to air on Oct. 30 and 31 on ITV.