Prince William's 'authentic' bid to follow in his mum Princess Diana's footsteps

02 July 2023 , 08:43

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Prince William has long worked with The Passage - pictured here speaking in 2016 (Image: Getty Images)

Prince William’s bid to help the homeless has seen him follow in Princess Diana’s footsteps and be "authentic", a charity boss has said.

One charity boss has lauded the Prince of Wales’ dedication and efforts to help the homeless.

He singled out William’s authenticity - something that sees him following after his mother and her own charity work.

William has been working to raise awareness around issues of homelessness for a number of years.

Just like his mum he has earned the trust of those he’s trying to help, Mick Clarke, CEO of The Passage, said.

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He explained: "He is not some Johnny-come-lately. He has been involved with us for years, talking to people here, helping as a volunteer, and he gets it."

The Prince of Wales chats with Alistair Doxat-Purser, chief executive of Faithworks, in Bournemouth, Dorset, as part of his tour of the UK to launch a project aimed at ending homelessness (PA)

Diana, Princess of Wales, with Cardinal Basil Hume in 1989 (UK Press via Getty Images)

Speaking to the Express, he continued: "Our clients who are homeless can suss who is authentic - and they see that he is."

The prince first began visiting as a youngster, and is now a patron of The Passage.

He is said to have told his late mother about his mission during a heart-to-heart as a child, where he reportedly told her: "If I become King, I will let the homeless live in our palaces."

Princess Diana would take William to visit homeless shelters when he was a young boy.

Diana and her two sons during a visit to The Passage in the early 1990s (PA)

Then, during the Covid pandemic and lockdowns, he was particularly busy volunteering when the charity’s kitchen was providing meals to homeless people being housed in hotels in London.

Mr Clarked continued: "He was out delivering meals, but was masked up so people didn't always realise it was him.

"It was that seismic event, when so many different organisations worked together, that really convinced the Prince more could be done through collaboration."

Last week, William unveiled his project Homewards - an effort to tackle homelessness through prevention.

Prince William visiting Centrepoint Hostel for Homeless, in Soho, London, with Diana in 1996 (News Group/REX/Shutterstock)

Announcing it, he said: “In a modern and progressive society, everyone should have a safe and secure home, be treated with dignity and given the support they need.

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“Through Homewards, I want to make this a reality and over the next five years, give people across the UK hope that homelessness can be prevented when we collaborate.

“I’m fortunate to have seen first-hand the tireless work of people and organisations across the sector, the tangible impact their efforts can have and what can be done when communities are able to focus on preventing homelessness, rather than managing it.

“It’s a big task, but I firmly believe that by working together it is possible to make homelessness rare, brief and unrepeated and I am very much looking forward to working with our six locations to make our ambition a reality.”

The Prince of Wales with footballer Tyrone Mings during a visit to Reach Up Youth at the Verdon Recreation Centre, Sheffield, to spotlight how grassroots sports can connect young people with their communities, boosting peer support (PA)

As a part of the launch of Homewards, William toured the UK, meeting volunteers, workers, and those helped by charities up and down the UK and Ireland.

This project was one whose seeds were sown long before he was born, by a monk from Yorkshire, and his own compassionate mother.

The Passage, the homeless shelter that meant so much to Diana, was founded by the monk who became Cardinal Basil Hume.

In 1981, with the country in chaos and inflation rates skyrocketing, Hume arrived in London from his North Yorkshire monastery to become the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster.

The future king meeting charity workers at the Refresh Cafe during a visit to the East Belfast Mission at the Skainos Centre as apart of his UK tour (PA)

In the evenings, when he left Westminster Cathedral he would see countless homeless people bedding down for the night.

Hume told colleagues he could not bear the thought of going home to a warm bed while others stayed out in the cold.

So he turned to the nuns living nearby to help set up The Passage, where people without anywhere to go could get advice, some food, and a bed for the night.

Some years later, Diana visited, searching for a cause that would match her desire to help those forgotten and cast aside by society.

She would later bring her sons along with her, which helped inspire William’s project Homewards and set him off following in his mum’s footsteps.

Homewards will bring businesses, charities and government together in six UK locations.

They will try to find new ways to tackle homelessness, which affects more than 300,000 people on the street, sofa surfing or in unsuitable accommodation.

Kieren Williams