Prince William is embracing his mother Princess Diana's legacy by introducing his children—Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis—to the importance of understanding social challenges.
In an ITV documentary, Prince William: We Can End Homelessness, he reflects on his own experiences as a child visiting shelters with Diana.
In the two-part series, William not only discusses the first year of his Homewards initiative but also shares how he strives to continue Diana’s legacy.
By openly discussing the issue with his own children—George, 11, Charlotte, 9, and Louis, 6—William hopes to nurture their compassion and understanding of homelessness.
Reflecting on his first shelter visit, William shared: “When I was very small my mother started talking about homelessness, much like I do now with my children on the school run."
He recounted his own first visit to a homeless shelter at around 11 years old, which had a profound effect on him.
Diana had taken William and Harry to The Passage, a charity dedicated to supporting those newly homeless.
"She took Harry and I both there. I must have been about 11, I think probably... Maybe 10. I’d never been to anything like that before," he remembered. "I remember at the time kind-of thinking, well if everyone has not got a home, they’re all going to be really sad. But it was incredible how happy an environment it was."
William, now 42, has admitted feeling a sense of personal responsibility about Britain’s homelessness crisis.
In the documentary, he expressed: “I’ve spent enough time learning and listening to what people have been through that I feel almost guilty every time I leave, that I’m not doing more to help.”
He also shared his ambition to inspire broader solutions to homelessness, adding, “The ultimate ambition is to prove that we can prevent homelessness in these regions so then others will come along and go ‘well if they can do it, why can’t we?’”
In seeking to fulfill his role as heir, William noted, “I have slowly tried to work out what I can bring to the role of heir to the throne. What do I feel works? What do I feel people want to see from me?”
The documentary portrays a dedicated Prince who is determined to create impactful change and pass on compassion and social responsibility to the next generation.
