Prince William has recently spoken about his late mother’s desire to help prevent homelessness.
William also said that Princess Diana would be “disappointed” with the lack of change that’s happened regarding homelessness in the 26 years since her death.
“My mother introduced me to the cause of homelessness from quite a young age, and I’m really glad she did,” the Prince of Wales began.
“I think she would be disappointed that we are still no further on, in terms of tackling homelessness and preventing it, than when she was interested and involved in it,” he continued.
Prince William made these comments while working on a short film and accompanying podcast episode with Groundswell – a homeless charity funded by Comic Relief.
The film will air in the UK on Red Nose Day (March 17, 2023) on BBC One; an Australian air date has not yet been announced.
In the film, William also sits down with Nawshin and Miles, two individuals who have been homeless.
“I’m here really, kind of, to learn a bit more from you both, to hear a bit more about your lived experiences of homelessness,” William tells them.
This upcoming film isn’t the first time William has championed the fight against homelessness.
William, following in his mother’s footsteps, has been the patron of Centrepoint – a charity that provides housing and support to young homeless people and aims to end youth homelessness by 2037 – since 2005; Diana was the patron of Centrepoint from 1992 until her untimely death in 1997.
And over the years, William has endeavoured to do what he can to help homeless people; for example, in 2009, to deepen his understanding, William slept on the streets of London in temperatures as low as minus 4 degrees celsius. In 2019, William was spotted serving food at a homeless shelter.
Most recently, in February of this year, William opened two homeless shelters in Central London and the facilities will help roughly 225 homeless people per year.
